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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Sleep Apnea: New Insights

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Sleep apnea is the most common disorder of breathing during sleep. It is defined as repeated episodes of obstructive apnea and hypopnea during sleep, together with daytime sleepiness or altered cardiopulmonary function [1]. There are three syndromes of upper airway closure during sleep: obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), obstructive sleep hypopnea, and upper airway resistance. These three syndromes share two features: excessive daytime sleepiness and arousal associated with increased ventilatory effort in response to upper airway closure. The specific sites of narrowing or closure and upper airway dysfunction are influenced by the underlying neuromuscular tone, upper airway muscle synchrony, and the stage of sleep. Sleep apnea may be classified as two major forms: obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea (CSA). Heart failure (HF) affects about 5 million people in the USA [2], and the largest epidemiologic studies in patients with HF found rates of prevalence of OSA of 37% and 11% respectively [3, 4]. Thus, OSA and CSA have a heavy impact on the health of these patients and on public health resources.