Valerie Rogers, Ph.D.

Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), including snoring and sleep apnea, is common among children with asthma. SDB-related upper airway inflammation has been found to trigger exacerbations of asthma, an inflammatory disorder of the lower airways. Our study will collect tonsils and blood from children with asthma undergoing tonsillectomy for treatment of SDB, to measure inflammatory markers in these tissues, and will test their association with asthma control. Identifying mechanisms of the association between SDB and asthma may provide pathways for improving control of asthma, a common and often debilitating disease in children.