Newspaper Page Text
10, 1968 AUGUSTA FOCUS
10A
Sleep disordes may explain
some youngsters’ poor grades
By Herbert 6. McCann
ASSOCIATED PRESS Writer
CHICAGO
Youngsters who do poorly in
school may be suffering from a
severe sleep disorder, and sur
gery can help these children bring
home better grades, according to
a study.
Sleep apnea — and the poor
academic performance it causes
— can be cured by removing the
tonsils and adenoids, Dr. David
Gozal, a professor of pediatrics at
Tulane University, reported in the
September issue of the journal
Pediatrics.
Apnea, theseverest kind of snor
ing, is a condition in which nar
rowed airways cause people to
stop breathing briefly as they
sleep. This causes them to wake
up, sometimes hundreds of times
a night, and often leaves them
feeling tired the next day.
In children, signs of apnea in
clude hyperactivity, a short at
tention span and aggressive be
havior, all major hindrances to
learning.
Tonsils can obstruct the air
ways, and Gozal said doctors have
long known of the connection be
tween tonsils and children’s abili
ties. In 1889, for example, the
British Medical Journal published
a study titled “The Awkwardness
and Stupidity of Children With
Large Tonsils.”
However, no good clinical stud-
Kids have a lot of energy.
Some of them ~—
need it just to breathe.
Does your child cough a lot? Is he often
short of breath! Or does he wheeze a
lot, especially at night or after running?
If so, see adoctor. Your child might
have asthma. And he shouldn’t be
using his energy just to catch his breath.
He needs all he has just to be a kid.
Breathe casier.
Ask your doctor if it's asthma.
National Asthma Education and
Prevention Program
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
National Institutes of Health
Public Health Service
US. Department of Health and Human Services.
Augusta Focus is a Walker
~ Group Publication
ies had documented the connec
tion, said Gozal, who decided to
investigate further when the par
ents of children who underwent
grades.
Gozal questioned the parents of
nearly 300 first-graders whose
school performance was in the
bottom 10th of their class. He
asked whether their children
snored and how loudly, and
whether they stopped breathing
during sleep, had to be shaken
awake or fell asleep during school
or while watching television. All
are symptoms of sleep apnea.
Obstructive sleep apnea syn
drome was found in 54 children,
of whom 24 had their tonsils and
adenoids removed. Parents de
cided not to have surgery on the
remaining 30 children.
A year later, almost all the chil
dren who underwent surgery im
proved their school performance
an average of half a letter grade.
The grades of the children who
weren’t treated remained the
same.
“The conclusion of the study is if
you intervene and treat the prob
lem you should expect some im
provement in the academic per
formance of these kids,” Gozal
said. :
An expert not associated with
the study said the findings shed
light on an important issue. Dr.
Carole Marcus, a professor of pe
diatrics at John Hopkins Univer
sity and medical director of its
l UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL OCCUPATIONAL HEATTH CENTER I
is pleased to announce the relocation of its 808 13th Street office to
University Hospital Medical Center
3121 Peach Orchard Road, Suite 105
* Drug and Alcohol Testing * Additional Parking
* Annual Physicals * X-Ray
* Physical Therapy e Retail Pharmacy
e Speech and Hearing Services * Physician Consultation
== University Hospital
g Occupational Health Center
= A Service of University Health Care System
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Living Better
Pediatrics Sleep Laboratory, said
pediatricians and parents should
pay more attention to the possi
bility of sleep apnea.
While all children snore, par
ents should be concerned if their
child snores every night with oc
casional gasping or choking
noises, she said. Severe cases of
sleep apnea can stunt growth, lead
to heart failure, cause seizures
and result in mental retardation.
- Please call 706/792-5002 for an appoimntment
5
Look for CSRA
and Atlanta
events
information
on the
Calendar page!
Snoring alone, however, does
not mean a child’s tonsils should
be removed, she said.
Gozal said a thorough study is
needed before parents decide on
surgery.
“The history provided by the
parent and physical examination
isinsufficient,” he said. “You need
asleep study in a sleep laboratory
to determine if the child needs
treatment.”
™ ‘
SEsssails School of Medicine
GWIRMREDE Department of Pediatrics
\\
\&
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The Healthy Lifestyles Project
for overweight teen-agers
The Prevention Institute at the Medical
College of Georgia is conducting a
“Healthy Lifestyles” research project dur
ing the 1998-1999 school year for over
weight teen-agers 13-16 years old.
This year-long, after-school research project includes,
at no cost to the participants ...
* healthy lifestyle education classes for all participants
* year-long, low-intensity exercise classes for a third of the
participants
* year-long, high-intensity exercise classes for a third of the
participants .
* payment for participation
For more information please call Dr. Scott Owens at MCG at
721-1753.
J 9953223
| ATRIAL FIBRILLATION STUDY
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I( RITERIA INCLUDES I
* Documented Atrial Fibrillation within the last 6 months
* Have not taken Rythmol® (propafenone) in the past
* New York Heart Association Class I
* Study participation is 39 weeks
The study will evaluate the effectiveness of the slow-release
formulation of a drug already approved. Research-related
medical treatment and study medication are provided
FREE OF CHARGE. |
If you are interested in learning more about this study or wish
to schedule a screening appointment, please contact:
RB i e O B e Ye e )
Southern Clinical Research & Management, Inc.
(706) 731-0117
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