Treatment For Childhood Disorder Brings Sleep Dangers

Growth hormone treatment for Prader-Willi syndrome -- a rare condition that causes children to gorge on food -- may also trigger or worsen dangerous sleep apnea, a new study finds.Prader-Willi syndrome compels a person to eat nonstop, often resulting in morbid obesity. Growth hormone therapy is considered one of the most effective ways to treat the disorder.However, a University of Florida study of 25 children and adults with Prader-Willi syndrome found that growth hormone treatment can also worsen or trigger sleep apnea in obese children, which could result in death.The findings appear in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

MORE ON THIS TOPIC