Morbidity of obstructive sleep apnea in children: facts and theory.

Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is a frequent, albeit underdiagnosed, problem in children. If left untreated, SDB may lead to substantial morbidities affecting multiple target organs and systems. This review provides a detailed and current description of the current status of our understanding of SDB-associated morbidity in children, and provides recommendations of future research directions necessary for increasing our knowledge and awareness on the short- and long-term consequences of SDB during childhood.