Obese children at greater risk from harmful sleep disorder

Until he was seven, Tommy Chui Ting-miu had a hard time getting a good night's sleep.

The chubby youngster's slumber was interrupted an average 44 times an hour by oxygen deprivation, while his loud snores, when he did drop off, disturbed his brother.

'I felt like I didn't sleep at all. I woke up several times in the middle of the night,' said Tommy, who weighed 42kg at the age of seven and now, at the age of 14, weighs a hefty 82kg.

His condition, sleep apnoea, was revealed by a sleep assessment test in 1998, after which his tonsils and adenoids were removed, leaving his airways clear.

'Now I can sleep until dawn without waking up. I feel more energetic in the daytime,' he said yesterday.

A recent study by Chinese University found that obese children like Tommy were 10 times more at risk of sleep apnoea syndrome than those of normal weight. It is the first Hong Kong study looking into the relationship between obesity and the condition in children, although it is well-known that adult sufferers are typically obese.

The study found 12 out of 46 obese children aged six to 13 suffered obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome while only one of 44 normal children had the disorder.