SLEEP-DISORDERED BREATHING DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENTkapak

CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS OF OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA

Volkan Güngör

Giresun University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Giresun, Türkiye

Güngör V. Clinical Manifestations of Obstructive Sleep Apnea. In: Özcan KM, editor. Sleep-Disordered Breathing: Diagnosis and Treatment. 1st ed. Ankara: Türkiye Klinikleri; 2025. p.25-32.

ABSTRACT

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is a significant global public health issue in recent years due to its rapidly increasing prevalence and its association with numerous systemic diseases. Following the successful recording of brain electrical waves, the importance of rapid eye movements was recognized and began to be recorded. Later, with the addition of respiratory recordings in the 1970s, recordings that would become the foundation of today’s polysomnography tests began to be made. Shortly thereafter, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome was identified. With the widespread use of sleep tests, knowledge of sleep medicine began to rapidly increase, and numerous studies were conducted and published. The clinical features of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, its risk factors, and its relationship with other systems were revealed. Male gender, obesity, alcohol and tobacco use, and aging are among the main risk factors for the condition. It is also commonly associated with comorbidities such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cerebrovascular events, and psychiatric disorders. Among risk factors, obesity appears as an independent risk factor in almost all studies. A strong correlation has been demonstrated between obesity-indicating parameters such as neck circumference, waist circumference, subcutaneous fat tissue thickness, and body mass index (BMI) and apnea disease parameters. The likelihood of developing obstructive apnea in obese patients increases with the degree of obesity compared to those without. Numerous studies have also shown significant reductions in apnea severity with weight loss. The main symptoms of this syndrome include snoring, waking up with a sensation of choking, restless sleep, excessive daytime sleepiness, and morning headaches. During the diagnostic process, information obtained from the patient’s relatives is of great importance, especially because nighttime symptoms often go unnoticed by the patient. In addition to reducing individuals’ quality of life, it may also lead to serious public safety risks such as traffic and occupational accidents. Therefore, early diagnosis and effective treatment of the disease are of great importance.

Keywords: Obstructive sleep apnea; Symptoms; Prevalence; Risk factors; Sleep disorders

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