Obstructive sleep apnoea and atopy
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Obstructive sleep apnoea and the association with atopic disease
IRAS ID
140897
Contact name
Hui-leng Tan
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust
Research summary
Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a common health problem in children with an estimated prevalence of up to 3%. Enlarged adenoids and tonsils are by far the commonest cause and surgical excision of the tissues is the main treatment. There have been many links published between OSA and atopic disease. The risk of habitual snoring (a symptom of OSA) in children diagnosed with asthma, allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis has been shown to be 7.5 times that of children without these atopic conditions.
This research aims to investigate the link between OSA and Atopy, with particular focus on cells found in the enlarged tissue of the upper airways to better understand the cause of the sleep disordered breathing. This could lead to better medical management and may eliminate the need for surgery.
Children referred to The Royal Brompton Paediatric Sleep unit will be recruited if their sleep study demonstrates OSA. Their atopic status will be determined using questionnaires, skin prick testing and lung function.
These children are routinely referred to an ear, nose and throat consultant (ENT) for assessment. If removal of the child’s tonsils and adenoids is indicated and the patient recruited, removed tissue will be collected for analysis on the day of the surgery along with a blood sample. Children undergoing this surgery for reasons other than OSA (for example for recurrent tonsillitis) will also be recruited as a disease control.
We will also compare the groups of white blood cells extracted from the tonsils and adenoids in children with and without atopy. We will be looking for a specific class of white blood cells called innate lymphoid cells which have only been discovered it the past five years and are believed to play an important role in inflammatory diseases such as asthma, wheeze, atopy and lung infections.
REC name
London - Riverside Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/LO/0001
Date of REC Opinion
29 Jan 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion