Association of adenotonsillar hypertrophy and its treatment in childhood with risk of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in adult Japanese male factory workers

Abstract

Objectives: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) affects patients' vital prognosis. Although adenotonsillar hypertrophy is linked to the pathogenesis of OSAS in children, the etiological role of childhood adenotonsillar hypertrophy in the later development of OSAS in the Japanese general population is unknown. Methods: We evaluated 1121 male factory workers aged ≥20 years who underwent home portable monitoring for screening examinations of OSAS in Japan. The relative risk of developing OSAS among patients with a history of adenotonsillar hypertrophy in childhood and the relative risk reduction associated with treatment were estimated. Results: We identified 85 men with OSAS (prevalence, 7.2%). The relative risk of OSAS in patients with untreated adenotonsillar hypertrophy was 2.92 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.42–6.13). The relative risk reduction for treatment of adenotonsillar hypertrophy with OSAS was estimated as 78.3% (95% CI, 4.7–95.3) in men with a history of adenotonsillar hypertrophy and 11.9% (95% CI, 4.4–21.5) in the whole male population with and without a history of adenotonsillar hypertrophy. Conclusions: The findings of this study suggest a large relative risk reduction of adult OSAS in patients who have undergone treatment of adenotonsillar hypertrophy in childhood.

Keywords

• obstructive sleep apnea
• adenotonsillar hypertrophy
• epidemiology
• general population