Sleep-disordered breathing is not rare in childhood interstitial lung disease, with 77% of patients diagnosed with OSAS, and PSG alongside sleep questionnaires should be used in follow-up to improve screening and detection.
The majority of children with interstitial lung disease were diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS).
REM sleep was reduced in the vast majority of children with interstitial lung disease.
Sleep questionnaires indicated impaired sleep quality and elevated SDB risk in the majority of chILD patients.
No significant association was found between pulmonary fibrosis and sleep-disordered breathing in children with interstitial lung disease.
Adult ILD patients commonly experience poor sleep quality with abnormal sleep architecture, increased fragmentation, and sleep-disordered breathing, but the impact on children remains less studied.
The authors recommend that polysomnography alongside sleep questionnaires should be incorporated into routine follow-up for children with interstitial lung disease.
This research suggests that children with interstitial lung disease (a group of serious chronic lung conditions) frequently experience sleep problems that may go undetected without proper screening. In a study of 30 children, 77% were found to have obstructive sleep apnea — a condition where breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep — and 90% had reduced REM (deep, restorative) sleep. Additionally, 80% of participants showed signs of poor sleep quality based on questionnaire responses. Interestingly, the study found that the presence of lung scarring (fibrosis), which is a common complication of interstitial lung disease, was not linked to a higher likelihood of sleep-disordered breathing. This was unexpected, as it suggests that sleep problems in these children may stem from factors beyond just the structural lung damage itself. This research suggests that sleep problems are common but potentially underrecognized in children with interstitial lung disease. The authors propose that sleep studies (polysomnography) and sleep questionnaires should be routinely included in the medical follow-up of these children, as identifying and addressing sleep-disordered breathing could be an important part of their overall care.
Oksay S, Ülgen &, Öztürk Y, Çağlar Y, Gürler E, Polat Z, et al.. (2026). Assessment of Sleep-Disordered Breathing and Sleep Quality in Childhood Interstitial Lung Disease: A Single-Center Experience.. Pediatric pulmonology. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppul.71473