Newark, NJ - Every living creature needs to
sleep, and this is especially true with children. Sleep is the
primary activity of the brain during early development. The National
Sleep Foundation reports that by age of two, a child will spend
40 percent of his or her childhood asleep.
When children do not experience good quality sleep, it affects
them mentally and physically. Most people are not aware that sleep
disorders, such as sleep apnea, can occur in babies, children,
and young adults. Approximately one-fifth to one-quarter of all
children suffer with some form of a sleep disorder. The Pediatric
Sleep Center at Children’s Hospital of New Jersey at Newark
Beth Israel Medical Center, the oldest sleep lab in the state,
works with families to diagnose and successful treat a whole range
of pediatric sleep disorders.
“In children, sleep directly impacts mental and physical
development,” says Sushmita Mikkilineni, M.D., FAAP, Director
of Pediatric Pulmonology at Children’s Hospital of New Jersey. “Symptoms
of poor sleep, such as irritability, fatigue, even hyperactivity,
are often regarded as youthful behaviors when in fact they can
be indicators of serious sleep and health issues.”
Early and accurate diagnosis, preventative measures, and treatment
are essential to managing sleep disorders. Pediatric sleep disorders
can result in these behaviors:
- Snoring
- Noisy
or troubled breathing/ breathing through the mouth
- Difficulty
in falling or staying asleep
- Night
terrors
- Sleep
walking
- Bed-wetting.
- Excessive
sleepiness
- Hyperactivity
- Irritability
- Difficulty
in school
Spearheading the pediatric evaluation and testing at the Center
is Dr. Mikkilineni, an attending Pulmonologist/Intensivist. She
is board certified in Sleep Disorders Medicine. Dr. Mikkilineni
is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and an active
participant in the American Thoracic Society, the New Jersey Thoracic
Society, the American Lung Association, the New Jersey Pediatric
Asthma Coalition and the Asthma Committee of the Maternal and Child
Health Consortium of Central Jersey.
The Center offers:
- Pediatric-focused care - Physicians are pediatric specialists
in the field of sleep medicine. From diagnosis to treatment,
our care is designed specifically for children with a variety
of complex and chronic sleep disorders.
- State
of the art equipment - All new testing equipment and a
more spacious testing area for sleep studies are provided.
Each four bed laboratory room for sleep studies has a private
bathroom and modernized features for greater comfort. The site
also offers state-of-the-art Electroencephalograms (EEG or
Brain Wave Tests), a neurophysiologic technique used in the
evaluation of epilepsy.
- Convenient
treatment for families - Parents with children receiving
a sleep study stay overnight as well. If the patient is under
the care of another board-certified sleep medicine specialist,
that physician can participate in the care.
For an appointment for children with Sleep Disorders, please
call 973-926-4273.
Date: April 6, 2009
CONTACT: Beth Salamon, Public Relations, (973) 322-4926
[ top ] [ back to news index ]
|
|
|
