Level of urinary catecholamine in children with Sleep Disordered Breathing: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective: To compare the levels of different urinary catecholamines amongst paediatric patients with and without sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). Methods: Literature searches were conducted on PubMed and EMBASE until 25/06/2022. Inclusion criteria were original human studies, English language, paediatric subjects diagnosed with SDB/ obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). The quality of studies was assessed by the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment (NOSGEN). The registered number of this study on the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) is CRD42022332939. The main outcome measured was standardised mean difference (SMD) of urinary catecholamine between subjects with and without SDB, between those with and without OSA, and also between subjects with mild OSA and those with moderate/ severe OSA. Sensitivity analyses were performed to avoid bias. Results: 9 studies (8 cross-sectional and 1 cohort study) with a total of 838 subjects, were included in the quantitative analysis. Urine level of noradrenaline was higher in patients with SDB, which included primary snoring (PS), when compared to controls: SMD = 0.86 (95%CI=0.32-1.41; I2=85%, P=0.0 02). The levels of urinary noradrenaline and adrenaline were higher in children with OSA when compared to controls: SMD = 1.45 (95%CI=0.91-2.0 0; I2=75%, P < 0.001); SMD = 1.84 (0.00-3.67; I2=97%, P=0.05). Urine level of noradrenaline was higher in subjects with moderate/severe OSA compared to the mild OSA: SMD = 0.55 (95%CI=0.10-1.00; I2=0%, P=0.02). Urinary dopamine was not associated with SDB regardless of severity. Conclusions: Urinary noradrenaline was higher in all patients with SDB. Subjects with OSA, a more severe form of SDB, had higher urine levels of noradrenaline and adrenaline. Hence, noradrenaline and adrenaline may be markers of sympathetic overtone in patients with SDB and could potentially act as surrogate markers for SDB complications. Further studies are needed to assess this association. (c) 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.