Publications by authors named "Athanasios Kaditis"

Objective: Nocturnal intermittent hypoxemia may enhance sympathetic nervous system activity. We aimed to assess the potential relationship of age-adjusted nocturnal pulse rate (% distance from 95th percentile for age-pulse rate index) with nocturnal oximetry parameters and their interaction with upper airway obstruction (UAO) presence.

Methods: Nocturnal oximetry data of 1-12-month-old infants without UAO/lung disease who were hospitalized for common pediatric problems (e.

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Background: Asthma exacerbation is a cause of morbidity and mortality in the pediatric population. In guidelines there is no consensus regarding discharge criteria post exacerbation. Moreover, sleep has a known impact on gas exchange, which might be clinically relevant in patients with obstructive lung disease.

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Objective: To present reference data for nocturnal oximetry (NOx) in infants without respiratory disorders and evaluate their diagnostic accuracy for distinguishing moderate-to-severe upper airway obstruction (UAO) from mild/no UAO.

Materials And Methods: Infants (aged 1-12 months) without respiratory disease hospitalized for common disorders (e.g.

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Background: Interstitial lung disease is rarer in children than adults, but, with increasing diagnostic awareness, more cases are being discovered. The prognosis of childhood interstitial lung disease is often poor, but increasing numbers are now surviving into adulthood.

Aim: To characterise childhood interstitial lung disease survivors and identify their impact on adult interstitial lung disease centres.

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Introduction: Pseudohypoaldosteronism type 1b (PHA1B) is a rare autosomal recessive disease caused by dysfunction of amiloride-sensitive epithelial sodium channels (ENaC), that might present with a wide variety of pulmonary symptoms.

Methods: We provide a systematic review of published cases with PHA1B and respiratory symptoms, adding a relevant case from our clinic.

Results: Thirty-seven publications presenting 61 cases were identified apart from our case.

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Over the past few years, there has been a surge in interest regarding the connection between sleep duration and quality, sleep disorders, mainly Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and Vitamin D. There is growing evidence to support a new role of Vitamin D in the maintenance and regulation of optimal sleep. Furthermore, a notable link has been identified between OSA and a decrease in serum Vitamin D levels, which appears to intensify as the severity of sleep apnea worsens.

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The aim of this review is to summarise evidence that became available after publication of the 2017 European Respiratory Society statement on the diagnosis and management of obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) in 1- to 23-month-old children. The definition of OSAS in the first 2 years of life should probably differ from that applied in children older than 2 years. An obstructive apnoea-hypopnoea index >5 events·h may be normal in neonates, as obstructive and central sleep apnoeas decline in frequency during infancy in otherwise healthy children and those with symptoms of upper airway obstruction.

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Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common sleep-related breathing disorder. Although adenotonsillectomy is first-line management for pediatric OSA, up to 40% of children may have persistent OSA. This document provides an evidence-based clinical practice guideline on the management of children with persistent OSA.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates whether adding nebulized hypertonic saline (HS) to dornase alfa (DA) treatment improves lung function in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients compared to those receiving DA alone, specifically focusing on F508del homozygous patients.
  • A retrospective analysis of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Patient Registry from 2006-2014 included data from 1,241 patients who were treated for 1 to 5 years, analyzing changes in FEV % predicted between the two treatment groups.
  • Results indicated that while patients on DA and HS initially showed lower lung function compared to those on DA only, after adjusting for various factors, their lung function was comparable over time, suggesting that the HS treatment
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For more than three decades, type III devices have been used in the diagnosis of sleep disordered breathing in supervised as well as unsupervised settings. They have satisfactory positive and negative predictive values for detecting obstructive and central sleep apnoea in populations with moderately high pre-test probability of symptoms associated with these events. However, standardisation of commercially available type III devices has never been undertaken and the technical specifications can vary widely.

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Inflammation and infection play an important role in the pathophysiology of cystic fibrosis, and they are significant causes of morbidity and mortality in CF. The presence of thick mucus in the CF airways predisposes to local hypoxia and promotes infection and inflammation. A vicious cycle of airway obstruction, inflammation, and infection is of critical importance for the progression of the disease, and new data elucidate the different factors that influence it.

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Purpose Of Review: Adenotonsillar hypertrophy is the most common pathogenetic contributor to obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) in childhood, and adenotonsillectomy is the standard initial treatment. Here, we summarize the most recent evidence on the efficacy and complications of adenotonsillectomy and explore knowledge gaps in clinical management.

Recent Findings: Favorable adenotonsillectomy effects have been reported in children with very severe OSAS [apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) >20 episodes/h] and extremely severe OSAS (AHI >100 episodes/h), without postoperative mortality, need for endotracheal intubation, prolonged hospital stay or re-admission after hospital discharge.

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Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a genetic neuromuscular disease resulting in global muscular weakness and, frequently, in respiratory failure and premature death. Gene-based therapies like Nusinersen are now available for patients with SMA. The aim of this review was to assess in "real world" studies, whether novel treatments would have a positive impact on the mechanical ventilatory support requirements of SMA patients, already initiated on ventilatory support prior to treatment administration.

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Nocturnal oximetry is an alternative modality for evaluating obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) severity when polysomnography is not available. The Oxygen Desaturation (≥3%) Index (ODI3) and McGill Oximetry Score (MOS) are used as predictors of moderate-to-severe OSAS (apnea-hypopnea index-AHI >5 episodes/h), an indication for adenotonsillectomy. We hypothesised that ODI3 is a better predictive parameter for AHI >5 episodes/h than the MOS.

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In childhood, a multitude of causes lead to pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP), an excessive surfactant accumulation in the alveolar space, limiting gas exchange. Autoantibodies against granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) causing autoimmune PAP, the principal aetiology in adults, are rare. In this first case series on autoimmune PAP, we detail the presentation and management issues of four children.

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In contrast to studies of adults with emphysema, application of fixed thresholds to determine low- and high-attenuation areas (air-trapping and parenchymal lung disease) in pediatric quantitative chest CT is problematic. We aimed to assess age effects on: (i) mean lung attenuation (full inspiration); and (ii) low and high attenuation thresholds (LAT and HAT) defined as mean attenuation and 1 SD below and above mean, respectively. Chest CTs from children aged 6-17 years without abnormalities were retrieved, and histograms of attenuation coefficients were analyzed.

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Purpose: The sleep clinical record (SCR) has been used to diagnose obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) in children when access to polysomnography (PSG) is limited. Our aim was to determine the best SCR score that could facilitate diagnosis of moderate-to-severe OSAS in children with snoring.

Methods: Healthy children with history of snoring, who were referred for PSG, were prospectively recruited.

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Background: A parent survey was conducted to assess the sleep habits of children residing in various countries before and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. It was hypothesized that lockdown would be associated with increased sleep duration.

Methods: Outcomes were changes in bedtime, wake time, and sleep duration in the pandemic compared to before.

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It is crucial that clinicians understand what underpins the considerable phenotypic variance in pediatric obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), if they are to implement individually tailored phenotype-based approaches to diagnosis and management. This review summarizes the current literature on how disease severity, comorbidities, genetic and environmental/lifestyle factors interact to determine the overall OSAS phenotype. The first part discusses the impact of these factors on OSAS-related morbidity in the context of otherwise healthy children, whilst the second half details children with complex conditions, particularly focusing on the anatomical and functional abnormalities predisposing to upper airway obstruction unique to each condition.

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Objectives: Bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) diagnosis in children following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (post-HSCT) is based on detection of airway obstruction on spirometry and air-trapping, small airway thickening or bronchiectasis on chest CT. We assessed the relationship between spirometry indices and low-attenuation lung volume at total lung capacity (TLC) on CT.

Methods: Data of children post-HSCT with and without BOS were analyzed.

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