A Hong Kong baby has become the world's youngest known sufferer of sleep apnoea, or involuntary breathing disruptions, according to a medical journal report by Kwong Wah hospital doctors.
The baby girl - whose exact age and identity was not disclosed - developed the symptoms three days after birth last year, wrote Daniel Ng Kwok-keung, a consultant at the department of paediatrics, and his team at the hospital in the International Journal of Paediatric Otorhinolaryngology.
The baby girl was born prematurely, at 35 weeks, weighing 2.84 kg. She also exhibited features of Down's syndrome shortly after birth. A hospital spokeswoman said the baby had been discharged from hospital.
In the journal article, Dr Ng pointed out that the prevalence of sleep apnoea in children with Down's syndrome was high. Two previous studies on children with the congenital disorder showed that the prevalence of sleep apnoea was between 31 and 50 per cent.
'Compared with adults, sleep apnoea in infancy is usually underreported,' he said.
'Sleep apnoea in infancy is a common cause of apparent life-threatening event and may cause some cases of sudden infant death syndrome.'
The paediatrician said risk factors include premature birth and smoking during pregnancy.