Summary
Pediatric OSA is highly prevalent in children with Down Syndrome, leading to significant morbidity if not accurately diagnosed or treated. Oxygen saturation measurement with pulse oximetry is critical in diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) by polysomnography; however, growing data suggest that oximetry may underestimate hypoxemia in darkly pigmented skin, resulting in under-diagnosis and under-treatment. Therefore, understanding potential oximetry-related biases is vital in ensuring equitable diagnosis and treatment of OSA in high-risk children from diverse populations, including children with Down Syndrome. We propose to investigate to what extent oximetry-related biases impact the diagnosis and severity of OSA in children with Down Syndrome.