Growing Up With Pets Predisposes Children To Snore In Adulthood

Main Category: Respiratory / Asthma
Also Included In: Allergy;  Ear, Nose and Throat;  Sleep / Sleep Disorders / Insomnia
Article Date: 25 Aug 2008 - 2:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   view / write opinions   rate article

A predisposition to adult snoring can be established very early in life. Research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Respiratory Research describes possible childhood risk factors, including exposure to animals, early respiratory or ear infections and growing up in a large family.

Karl A Franklin from University Hospital Umea, Sweden, and a team of Nordic researchers questioned more than sixteen thousand randomly selected people from Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Denmark and Estonia about their childhood and their snoring habits. According to Franklin "A total of 15,556 subjects answered the questions on snoring. Habitual snoring, defined as loud and disturbing snoring at least three nights a week, was reported by 18%".

Being hospitalised for a respiratory infection before the age of two years, suffering from recurrent ear infections as a child, growing up in a large family and being exposed to a dog at home as a newborn were all independently related to snoring in later life. The authors speculate "These factors may enhance inflammatory processes and thereby alter upper airway anatomy early in life, causing an increased susceptibility for adult snoring".

As well as the obvious problem of sleep deprivation for snorers and those unfortunate enough to share a room with them, research has also shown that people who snore also run more serious risks. Franklin said, "People who snore run an increased risk of early death and cardiovascular diseases, such as heart attacks or strokes".

The authors conclude, "These new findings suggest that further knowledge about the early life environment may contribute to the primary prevention of snoring".

----------------------------
Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.
----------------------------

1. Early life environment and snoring in adulthood
Karl A Franklin, Christer Janson, Thorarinn Gislason, Amund Gulsvik, Maria Gunnbjornsdottir, Birger N Lerum, Eva Lindberg, Eva Norrman, Lennarth Nystrom, Ernst Omenaas, Kjell Toren and Cecilie Svanes
Respiratory Research (in press)
Article available at the journal website: http://respiratory-research.com/
All articles are available free of charge, according to BioMed Central's open access policy.

2. Respiratory Research is an Open Access, peer-reviewed, online journal that considers manuscripts on all aspects of respiratory function and disease.

3. BioMed Central (http://www.biomedcentral.com/) is an independent online publishing house committed to providing immediate access without charge to the peer-reviewed biological and medical research it publishes. This commitment is based on the view that open access to research is essential to the rapid and efficient communication of science.

Source: Graeme Baldwin
BioMed Central