• I Gridina, E Bidat, B Chevallier, and C Stheneur.
• Service de pédiatrie, hôpital Ambroise-Paré AP-HP, 92100 Boulogne, France.
• Arch Pediatr. 2013 Mar 1; 20 (3): 265-8.

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of hyperventilation syndrome in the general population of children and teenagers from the Île-de-France region (France).MethodsThree hundred children and teenagers (170 girls and 130 boys, aged 1 to17 years) were included in the study. To evaluate the probability of hyperventilation syndrome, we asked the children and teenagers to complete the Hyperventilation Syndrome Ambroise-Paré Enfant (SHAPE) questionnaire. The frequency of occurrence of the signs was evaluated by the child himself or herself with or without parental help. Children and teenagers with a score of 25 or over were considered to have hyperventilation syndrome.ResultsSixty-three out of 300 questionnaires with a score of 25 or over revealed the presence of hyperventilation syndrome: 21% of the population evaluated. Among those surveyed, 42 were girls and 21 boys: 24.7 and 16.2%, respectively. The 280 questionnaires filled out among the non-asthmatics showed that 52 were positive (18.6%), while the positivity rate in the asthma group amounted to 55%.ConclusionAlthough the diagnostic criteria for hyperventilation syndrome remains contested, this study shows that the disorder is real and frequent.Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

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