Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33411186›Full record

Trial reportSleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung2021

Cognitive parameters in children with mild obstructive sleep disordered breathing.

Jasneek Chawla, Margaret-Anne Harris, Robert Black, Marie-Josee Leclerc, Hannah Burns, Karen A Waters, Anne Bernard, Kurt Lushington, Helen Heussler

Abstract readMulticenter StudyRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Sleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
0.8field-weighted citation impact, top 29% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 9 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Revisiting the efficiency and necessity of adenotonsillectomy in children with mild obstructive sleep apnea: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2025
    Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Jasneek ChawlaDepartment of Respiratory & Sleep Medicine, The Queensland Children's Hospital, Level 5a, 501 Stanley Street, South Brisbane, Queensland, 4101, Australia. Jasneek.chawla@health.qld.gov.au.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5035-0744
Margaret-Anne HarrisDepartment of Respiratory & Sleep Medicine, The Queensland Children's Hospital, Level 5a, 501 Stanley Street, South Brisbane, Queensland, 4101, Australia.
Robert BlackDepartment of Respiratory & Sleep Medicine, The Queensland Children's Hospital, Level 5a, 501 Stanley Street, South Brisbane, Queensland, 4101, Australia.
Marie-Josee LeclercDepartment of Respiratory & Sleep Medicine, The Queensland Children's Hospital, Level 5a, 501 Stanley Street, South Brisbane, Queensland, 4101, Australia.
Hannah BurnsDepartment of Respiratory & Sleep Medicine, The Queensland Children's Hospital, Level 5a, 501 Stanley Street, South Brisbane, Queensland, 4101, Australia.
Karen A WatersThe Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, Australia.
Anne BernardQFAB Bioinformatics, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
Kurt LushingtonWomen and Children's Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
Helen HeusslerDepartment of Respiratory & Sleep Medicine, The Queensland Children's Hospital, Level 5a, 501 Stanley Street, South Brisbane, Queensland, 4101, Australia.
The University of Queensland · AUThe University of Sydney · AUUniversity of South Australia · AU

Funding

National Health and Medical Research Council APP1049788
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeSleep disordered breathing (SDB) in children is commonly described as a continuum from primary snoring (PS) to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), based on apnea indices from polysomnography (PSG). This study evaluated the difference in neurocognitive and behavioral parameters, prior to treatment, in symptomatic pre-school children with PSG-diagnosed OSA and PS.

methodsAll children had positive Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire (PSQ) results and were deemed suitable for adenotonsillectomy by an ENT surgeon. Neurocognitive and behavioral data were analyzed in pre-school children at recruitment for the POSTA study (The Pre-School OSA Tonsillectomy Adenoidectomy Study). Data were compared between PS and OSA groups, with Obstructive Apnea-Hypopnea Index, OAHI < 1/h or 1-10/h, respectively.

resultsNinety-one children were enrolled, including 52 with OSA and 39 with PS. Distribution of IQ (using Brief Intellectual Ability, BIA) was slightly skewed towards higher values compared with the reference population. No significant differences were found in neurocognitive or behavioral parameters for children with OSA versus those with PS. DISCUSSION: Neurocognitive and behavioral parameters were similar in pre-school children symptomatic for OSA, regardless of whether or not PSG diagnosed PS or OSA. Despite having identical symptoms, children with PS on PSG are often treated conservatively, whereas those with OSA on PSG are considered for adenotonsillectomy. This study demonstrates that, regardless of whether or not PS or OSA is diagnosed on PSG, symptoms, neurocognition, and behavior are identical in these groups. We conclude that symptoms and behavioral disturbances should be considered in addition to OAHI when determining the need for treatment.

trial registrationAustralian and New Zealand Clinical Trials registration number ACTRN12611000021976.

Indexed as

AdenoidectomyAustraliaChild BehaviorChild, PreschoolCognitionCohort StudiesFemaleHumansMaleNew ZealandPolysomnographySeverity of Illness IndexSleep Apnea, ObstructiveSnoringSurveys and QuestionnairesTonsillectomyCognitionObstructive sleep apneaPediatricSleep disordered breathing

Identifiers

PMID33411186
OpenAlexW3120428847

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.