obstructive sleep apnea

apnea /ap·nea/ (ap´ne-ah) cessation of breathing.apne´ic

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central sleep apnea  sleep apnea from failure of stimulation by medullary respiratory centers.

obstructive sleep apnea  sleep apnea from collapse or obstruction of the airway during sleep, such as in the obese.

sleep apnea  transient attacks of apnea during sleep, resulting in acidosis and pulmonary arteriolar vasoconstriction and hypertension.

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Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)

A potentially life-threatening condition characterized by episodes of breathing cessation during sleep alternating with snoring or disordered breathing. The low levels of oxygen in the blood of patients with OSA may eventually cause heart problems or stroke.

Mentioned in: Snoring

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obstructive sleep apnea,

a form of sleep apnea involving a physical obstruction in the upper airways. The condition tends to affect mainly obese people, particularly those with secondary pulmonary insufficiency or a constitutional defect. A nonobese person with a congenital abnormality of the upper airways also may experience obstructive sleep apnea. The condition is usually marked by recurrent sleep interruptions, snoring, choking and gasping spells on awakening, and drowsiness caused by loss of normal sleep. Uncorrected, the disorder often leads to central sleep apnea, pulmonary failure, and cardiac abnormalities. See also pickwickian syndrome.

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obstructive sleep apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome Sleep disorders A clinical complex due to the pathophysiologic response to anatomic defects of the nasopharynx, characterized by loud snoring, nocturnal oxyHb desaturation, disrupted sleep, hundreds of apneic episodes during sleep, resulting in upper airway closure for ≥ 10 secs Clinical Daytime drowsiness, especially in obese middle-aged ♂, cardiovascular Sx–eg, apnea-induced arrhythmia, bradycardia, ↑ ventricular ectopic activity Contributing factors Alcohol or sedatives before sleep, obesity, nasal obstruction, adenoid/tonsillar hyperplasia, macroglossia, retrognathia, acromegaly, hypothyroidism, HTN, pulmonary HTN Management Individualized–eg, surgery; uvulopalatopharyngoplasty is successful in 50%. Cf Snoring. Cf Narcolepsy, Sleep disorders.