ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION It is becoming increasingly clear that neurocognitive deficits and behavioral problems are among the most common morbidities associated with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in children. While there has been an explosion of interest in the relationship between pediatric SDB and neurocognitive and behavioral problems, one of the first reports of impaired intellectual function in children with adenotonsillar hypertrophy was in 1889 when Hill reported on “some causes of backwardness and stupidity in children” (1). However, it was almost a century later when a subsequent report of a small group of children with SDB was published in the 1970s (2). Since then, a multitude of studies have been published in this field. Recent data suggest that some of the cognitive and behavioral deficits observed in children with SDB may be reversible, thus providing strong evidence for early recognition and appropriate treatment of pediatric SDB. This chapter will review the current state of knowledge of behavior and cognition in pediatric SDB and provide evidence for SDB as an important contributor to neurocognitive and behavioral problems.
