Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42128488›Full record

SynthesisEuropean respiratory review : an official journal of the European Respiratory Society2026

Normal polysomnography parameters in healthy children: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Annelies Van Eyck, Genevieve de Caen, Julia Bokhaut, Henrietta Blinder, Jason Bouziotis, Sherri Lynne Katz, Athanasios Kaditis, Stijn Verhulst, Refika Ersu

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in European respiratory review : an official journal of the European Respiratory Society, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. The Sleep and Breathing Conference: a long-standing and unique ERS/ESRS educational activity.European respiratory review : an official journal of the European Respiratory Society · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Annelies Van EyckLaboratory of Experimental Medicine and Pediatrics and Member of the Infla-Med Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium annelies.vaneyck@uantwerpen.be.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4722-969X
Genevieve de CaenAlberta Children's Hospital, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Julia BokhautDivision of Pediatric Respirology, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Henrietta BlinderChildren's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Jason BouziotisClinical Trial Center, Clinical Research Center Antwerp, Antwerp University Hospital, University of Antwerp, Edegem, Belgium.
Sherri Lynne KatzDivision of Pediatric Respirology, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Athanasios KaditisDivision of Pediatric Pulmonology and Sleep Disorders Laboratory, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens School of Medicine and Agia Sofia Children's Hospital, Athens, Greece.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3592-0037
Stijn VerhulstLaboratory of Experimental Medicine and Pediatrics and Member of the Infla-Med Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
Refika ErsuDivision of Pediatric Respirology, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, ON, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionThere is a lack of normative values for polysomnographic parameters in childhood. This study presents a comprehensive meta-analysis of paediatric polysomnography parameters scored using recent criteria to establish normative values adjusted for age and sex. METHODOLOGY: A systematic search was conducted in Web of Science and Scopus for studies that performed overnight polysomnography in healthy children and reported polysomnographic parameters scored using the American Academy of Sleep Medicine criteria (2007 or 2012). Children with previously diagnosed health conditions were excluded. Estimates for sleep, arousals and cardiorespiratory parameters were pooled using a random-effects meta-analysis and the influence of sex and age was assessed using meta-regression.

resultsOf 3612 articles, 66 studies were eligible, resulting in a sample size of 2947 healthy children. Pooled estimates and 95% confidence intervals for 34 polysomnographic parameters were established. Meta-regression revealed age-related decrease in total sleep time (TST), sleep period time, TST in stage N3 and REM, number of sleep cycles, total arousals, total leg movements, periodic leg movement index, central apnoea index, apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI), mean peripheral oxygen saturation (

conclusionThis meta-analysis provides normative polysomnographic data for the paediatric population that can be used as control values in both clinical and research context.

Indexed as

LungPolysomnographySleepAdolescentAge FactorsChildChild, PreschoolFemaleHumansInfantMalePredictive Value of TestsReference ValuesSex FactorsSleep DurationTime Factors

Identifiers

PMID42128488
PMCPMC13169063

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.