ad info

 
CNN.comTranscripts
 
Editions | myCNN | Video | Audio | Headline News Brief | Feedback  

 

  Search
 
 

 

TOP STORIES

Bush signs order opening 'faith-based' charity office for business

Rescues continue 4 days after devastating India earthquake

DaimlerChrysler employees join rapidly swelling ranks of laid-off U.S. workers

Disney's GO.com is a goner

(MORE)

MARKETS
4:30pm ET, 4/16
144.70
8257.60
3.71
1394.72
10.90
879.91
 


WORLD

U.S.

POLITICS

LAW

TECHNOLOGY

ENTERTAINMENT

 
TRAVEL

ARTS & STYLE



(MORE HEADLINES)
 
CNN Websites
Networks image


Sunday Morning News

Study Shows Some Students Who Are Thought to Have ADD May Be Suffering From Sleep Apnea

Aired April 2, 2000 - 9:31 a.m. ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: So you're feeling a little sleepy this morning? Well, you can probably blame it on Daylights Saving Time, since most of us lost an hour of sleep last night. But what if you're tired all the time?

In children especially, inadequate rest can be more serious than you might think.

CNN's Pat Etheridge has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAT ETHERIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fourteen-year-old Jacob Brown is getting wired.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's going to tell us whether you're asleep or awake, and it's going to tell us what sleep stage you're in.

ETHERIDGE: Tonight, doctors will determine if he has a sleep disorder. The tangle of electrodes map Jacob's brain waves, breathing, and snoring.

High-tech readouts show that Jacob has obstructed nighttime breathing, or apnea, a chronic condition that interrupts his sleep at night and leaves him drowsy during the day.

JACOB BROWN, APNEA PATIENT: Feeling exhausted, like I'm sleepy, you know.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's always been a tough kid to put to sleep, to fall asleep, to wake up.

ETHERIDGE: Some doctors now believe many children who've been labeled with attention deficit disorder or other learning disabilities may have sleep apnea instead. The symptoms, including an inability to sit still or stay on task, are strikingly similar.

DR. GARY MONTGOMERY, PEDIATRIC PULMONOLOGIST: Very often when children are tired, they think of mechanisms to try to keep themselves awake, and therefore they get more wound up, more active.

ETHERIDGE: And the solution may be removing the tonsils and adenoids to clear the breathing passage and allow a good night's sleep.

(on camera): Recent sleep studies at Tulane University School of Medicine and Brown University both show that students with poor grades were more likely to have sleep apnea, but those who went on to have their adenoids and tonsils removed soon showed significant improvement in school.

MONTGOMERY: Yes, very dramatically, the kids do much better in school. They don't have these behavioral problems with difficulty concentrating, hyperactivity, et cetera. And then they're not labeled as attention deficit any more, and they don't need medication.

ETHERIDGE: Sleep apnea often goes undetected because parents and children sleep in different beds. Five-year-old Christopher Butcher (ph) was diagnosed last fall. After surgery, his mother says, he's already a different kid.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was amazing. The next day after the surgery, he was a silent sleeper. There's usually a reason for just the waking. And, you know, don't ignore it. I think it's worth asking questions about.

ETHERIDGE: The message to parents, if your children are having trouble during the day, pay closer attention to how they sleep at night.

Pat Etheridge, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com

 Search   


Back to the top  © 2001 Cable News Network. All Rights Reserved.
Terms under which this service is provided to you.
Read our privacy guidelines.