For children who have trouble breathing during sleep, gaining weight around the middle may make things worse, new research shows. In obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA, a person stops breathing multiple times during the night. It is often accompanied by heavy snoring. About 2 percent of children have OSA, which is frequently treated by removing the tonsils and adenoids. Gaining weight is known to worsen OSA in adults, but it’s not clear what factors increase the likelihood that a child with mild OSA will experience worsening of their symptoms, Dr. A. M. Li of The Chinese University of Hong Kong and colleagues point out in a report in the medical journal Thorax.

Original Source of Expanding waist worsens kids’ sleep apnea