Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Treatment – Anti-inflammatory Therapy

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a form of sleep-disordered breathing that occurs in children of all ages, which may cause intermittent hypoxemia, leading to significant neurocognitive (Brockmann et al., Sleep Med 16:1077–1083, 2015) and cardiovascular consequences (Gozal and Kheirandish-Gozal, Curr Opin Pulm Med 13:505–509, 2007). Surgical removal of enlarged tonsils and adenoids (i.e., adenotonsillectomy) is the most commonly used treatment for OSA (Marcus et al., Pediatrics 130:576–584, 2012), but it may be painful with potential risk of complications.