News Briefs

Sleep Breathing Problems in Children

Children with high blood pressure may be at risk for breathing disorders during sleep, according to a small study conducted at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston. The results of the study were reported in October at the American Heart Association’s 60th Annual Fall Conference of the Council for High Blood Pressure Research.

In the study, 60 percent of hypertensive children had sleep disordered breathing (SDB), a group of disorders characterized by abnormalities in a child’s breathing patterns during sleep. Obstructive sleep apnea, the most common of those disorders, is characterized by the repeated collapse or partial collapse of the pharyngeal airway during sleep. This can cause a child to wake up several times during the night.

“SBD is important because it can result in daytime sleepiness, limited attention span, poor school performance, hyperactivity, poor growth and increased blood pressure in the lungs,” said Alisa A. Acosta, M.D., lead author of the study and a fellow in pediatric kidney disease and hypertension at the UT Medical School.

Co-authors of the study are: Kathy Franco, senior nurse manager in pediatrics at the UT Medical School; Monesha Gupta, M.D., assistant professor of pediatric cardiology; Richard J. Castriotta, M.D., professor and division director of pulmonary and critical care and sleep medicine; and Ronald J. Portman, M.D., professor and division director of pediatric nephrology and hypertension.

Memorial Hermann Honors UT Doctors

Two doctors on the faculty of The University of Texas Medical School at Houston have been named the 2006 Physicians of the Year at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center and Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital.

During an annual medical staff meeting Dec. 14, James J. McCarthy, M.D., became the first emergency medicine specialist to earn Memorial Hermann-TMC’s top award for excellence in leadership and patient care.

He is assistant professor and assistant residency program director in the Department of Emergency Medicine. He also is medical director of the hospital’s emergency center.

Mesfin Woldesenbet, M.D., assistant professor in the Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, is the 2006 Physician of the Year for Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital.

Memorial Hermann gives the awards to highly regarded physicians who demonstrate patient-centered practices and evidence-driven medicine, among other qualities.

Two other UT physicians were recognized for their accomplishments in health care during the annual medical staff meeting. Charles Ericsson, M.D., professor of medicine, and Alan Criswell, M.D., clinical associate professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, received Distinguished Doctor awards.

Memorial Hermann-TMC and Children’s Memorial Hermann are primary teaching hospitals for the UT Medical School at Houston.