Sleep Apnea

  Dear Dr.,
  My son is 22 months old. At the time of birth he asperated his amnionic fluid and did
  not breath on his own for five minutes. He developed pnemonia (pneumonia) from all the
  fluid in his lungs. He recieved ethromyacin for one week and was relaesed from neo-natal
  intensive care with a clean bill of health. He had only one episode of apnea
  in the hospital following his birth. Well ever since then when he is sleeping
  about every hour he takes a breath and it sounds like it is getting stuck in his throat.
  Well the other night he did it and i realized hestopped breathing after he did it.
  So my question is: do you think he has sleep apnea or maybe he is going to
  be a SIDS baby? i am so scared I am going to wake up one morning and he isn't.
  Also he is under a doctors care for this.
Dear Mary :
Babies often stop breathing momentarily after a sigh when they are asleep .
The key question would be how long does the cessation of breathing last ? A normal pause in breath for infants would be up to 20 seconds without a change in their color , limpness or a decrease in their heart rate . If the baby manifests any of these symptoms , it would suggest a problem that requires an inquiry for possible causes .
Apnea has many causes , common ones are prematurity , central apnea of infancy ( an immaturity in the respiratory center of the brain , or a decreased sensitivity of receptors responsible for alerting the central respiratory center) , seizures ,obstruction of the airways due to anatomical abnormalities vs. seriously enlarged adenoids (adenoids) and tonsils , some inborn errors of metabolism , and a possible relation to gastroesophageal reflux .
Risk factors for SIDS include : premature infants , infants exposed to drugs during pregnancy , infants with a history of apparent life threatening events , young single mothers , poor socioeconomic status , during winter season and exposure to cigarette smoke . The risk of SIDS is increased 3-5 times in siblings of infants who have died with SIDS. SIDS is rare prior to 4 weeks or after 6 months of age .
L.M
Disclaimer : this information is for educational purposes only . If you have any concerns regarding your child's illness , please consult his/her physician .
Keywords : SIDS*(general Pediatrics), ALTE* (Pulmonology)