Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome

Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome. Clinical Manifestations.

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a condition characterized by frequent pauses in breathing during sleep, usually accompanied by loud snoring. These pauses cut off the body's oxygen supply for several seconds. As a result, the brain awakens and resumes breathing. This can happen hundreds of times throughout the night, resulting in shallow and unsteady sleep.

Clinical manifestations of OSA

More than 60% of patients with sleep apnea syndrome experience the following symptoms:

Loud snoring
Pauses in breathing during sleep
Restless, unrefreshing sleep
Excessive daytime sleepiness
Frequent urination at night
Irritability, memory loss
Some patients, with more severe forms of the disease, experience the following symptoms:

Night attacks of suffocation
Night sweats
Morning headaches
High blood pressure
Decreased potency
What are the main risk factors?

Patients with comorbidities are at higher risk of developing OSA. Therefore, a diagnostic sleep study—polysomnography—is necessary in the presence of:

Obesity (BMI >30)
Heart failure
Respiratory failure
Metabolic syndrome
Refractory hypertension (not controlled with a three-component treatment regimen)
Coronary heart disease (class II-IV), atrial fibrillation, nocturnal arrhythmias, myocardial infarction, or a history of coronary heart disease surgery
History of acute cerebrovascular accident (stroke).