Adolescent OSA Management Needs Guideline Update, Says Binal Kancherla, MD

Binal Kancherla, MD, from Baylor College of Medicine, presented on the diagnostic and treatment dilemmas when managing obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in adolescents at SLEEP 2025, the 39th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies in Seattle, Washington.

HCPLive sat down with Kancherla during the meeting to discuss the primary diagnostic challenges when evaluating OSA in adolescents, whether to use pediatric or adult AHI thresholds, and whether updated clinical guidelines specific to adolescent OSA are needed. In the first half of the interview, Kancherla said she recommends managing adolescent OSA with pediatric criteria since they are continuing to grow and develop. Still, it can be tricky to manage OSA in teens, especially when patients at this age start wanting autonomy over their treatments.

“I believe that the age group from age 15 to 17 can be the trickiest time,” Kancherla told HCPLive when asked about the need for updated guidelines. “I think there's a discrepancy in a lot of sleep centers across the country and how they're treating that age group, and maybe we need to identify factors that are unique to that age group in treating their OSA.”

As of now, there are no discovered biomarkers to identify OSA in adolescents. Kancherla emphasized the importance of a multidisciplinary approach in treating OSA in this age group, beginning with proper screening and assessment of OSA severity. From there, clinicians should develop a personalized treatment plan tailored to the individual's needs.

Kancherla said untreated OSA during adolescence can result in severe mental health and developmental outcomes. Although there is not a lot of longitudinal data, she pointed out that development impacts school and athletic performance. OSA can also increase the risk of high blood pressure.

“I think there's a combination of problems that we see in this age,” Kancherla said. “Again, we don't know what is going to happen and when it's going to happen. It could be 5 years down the road. It could be 10 years down the road. We just know that the risk is higher. So, it's important to identify OSA and treat it as best we can.”

References

Majid R, Kancherla B, and Wani A. Adult or Pediatric? Diagnostic and Treatment Dilemmas when Managing Teen OSA. Presented at SLEEP 2025, the 39th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, on Monday, June 9th, in Seattle, Washington.