ABSTRACT
Sleep and breathing are separate but interdependent processes. Respiratory events, including apneas, are more common in infants and decrease in healthy children. The most common pathology linking these two processes is obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), which is recognized across the lifespan with differences in presentation and effects in different age groups. This chapter will mostly focus on OSAS from the neonatal period to adolescence emphasizing the importance of the balance between anatomy and function. The pathophysiology of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in relevant special pediatric populations that deserve further research will also be described. Further studies are needed to identify the mechanisms underlying the changes in sleep and breathing through childhood and to examine the interaction of these processes in health and disease.
