Reference values for nocturnal home polysomnography in primary schoolchildren.

Abbreviated home polysomnography may be an alternative to laboratory polysomnography in children but is not yet generally accepted, partly due to a lack of reference values. Also, there are no normative data on respiratory events obtained using nasal prongs. We determined the prevalence and frequency of central, obstructive, and mixed apneas and hypopneas in a population-based sample of 50 children (mean age 10.1 years) using abbreviated home polysomnography and nasal prongs. We also determined the frequency of movements/arousals and body position changes. All children had central apneas. Obstructive apneas, mixed apneas, and hypopneas were found in 36%, 6%, and 14% of children, respectively. Average number of central, obstructive, and mixed apneas; hypopneas; movement/arousals; and body position changes per hour of sleep was 1.5, 0.1, 0.01, 0.02, 8.2, and 3.7, respectively. The corresponding cutoff values (mean plus 2 standard deviations or 95th centile) were 3.7, 0.7, 0.1, 0.2, 13.4, and 9.1, respectively. We did not find significant gender differences regarding any sleep variable under study. The presented reference values may help clinicians and researchers to improve the interpretation of abbreviated home polysomnography in school-age children.