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. 2023 Jan 31;13(2):387.
doi: 10.3390/life13020387.

A Scoping Review of Sleep Apnea: Where Do We Stand?

Rahim Hirani  1   2 , Abbas Smiley  1   2
Affiliations

A Scoping Review of Sleep Apnea: Where Do We Stand?

Rahim Hirani et al. Life (Basel). .

Abstract

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a condition in which there is a recurrent collapse of the upper airway while sleeping, is a widespread disease affecting 5% to 10% people worldwide. Despite several advances in the treatment modalities for OSA, morbidity and mortality remain a concern. Common symptoms include loud snoring, gasping for air during sleep, morning headache, insomnia, hypersomnia, attention deficits, and irritability. Obese individuals, male gender, older age (65+), family history, smoking, and alcohol consumption are well recognized risk factors of OSA. This condition holds the ability to increase inflammatory cytokines, cause metabolic dysfunction, and increase the sympathetic output, all of which exacerbate OSA due to their effect on the cardiovascular system. In this review, we discuss its brief history, risk factors, complications, treatment modalities, and the role of clinicians in curbing its risk.

Keywords: CPAP; morbidity; pathogenesis; risk factors; sleep apnea; upper airway.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A model for common symptoms of sleep apnea.
Figure 2
Figure 2
A model for widely recognized risk factors of sleep apnea.
Figure 3
Figure 3
A mechanistic model for the impact of intrathoracic pressure alterations due to OSA on cardiac dysfunction.
Figure 4
Figure 4
A mechanistic model for pathogenesis of OSA. Abbreviations: SNS = sympathetic nervous system, CVDs: cardiovascular diseases, OSA = obstructive sleep apnea, DM = diabetes mellitus, NAFL = non-alcohol fatty liver, TNF-a = tumor necrosis factor alpha, and IL-6 = interleukin 6.
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