Hans Fuchs, Lennart Gunst, Anke Wendt, Sebastian Becker, Ruth Margarethe Grychtol, Dejan Vlajnic, Dorit Aschmann-Muehlhans, Christiane Wuerfel, Mathis Steindor, Svea Muehlberg, Florian Stehling
Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg. Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin. Darmstädter Kinderkliniken Prinzessin Margaret. Medizinische Hochschule Hannover. Klinikum Leverkusen. Kinderkrankenhaus St. Marien. Technische Universität Dresden. Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf. Universitäts-Kinderspital Zürich. Universität Duisburg-Essen.
Germany and Switzerland
Klinische Pädiatrie
Klin Padiatr 2025;
DOI: 10.1055/a-2748-4649
Abstract
Pulmonary problems are common in children with Downsyndrome/trisomy 21, alongside other health issues, but are often given too little attention. The aim of this review is to summarize these aspects for pediatric pulmonologists. Narrow nasal passages, a small pharynx and larynx, in combination with relative macroglossia, other airway malformations, and generalized muscular hypotonia, lead to glossoptosis, which in very young infants frequently causes obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. If left untreated, this is associated with impaired cognitive development. The children also suffer from chronic rhinitis. Together with recurrent silent aspirations resulting from the typical dysphagia of children with Trisomie 21 and immune dysregulation, lower respiratory tract infections are common and often severe. Viral infections caused by RSV, influenza, and SARS-CoV-2 more frequently lead to hospitalizations and have a much higher mortality rate than in healthy children. Children with Down syndrome are also more likely to develop chronic wheezing. The development of pulmonary hypertension may rarely occur even without an associated heart defect. This article summarizes the diagnostic and therapeutic tasks related to pulmonary problems in children with Down syndrome for the pediatric pulmonologist.
Category
Class III. Pulmonary Hypertension Associated with Airway Disease, Apnea or Hypoventilation
Genetic Factors Associated with Pulmonary Vascular Disease
Age Focus: Pediatric Pulmonary Vascular Disease
Fresh or Filed Publication: Fresh (PHresh). Less than 1-2 years since publication
Article Access
Free PDF File or Full Text Article Available Through PubMed or DOI: No (Article in German)