Summary: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a disease caused by recurrent episodes of pauses in breathing (apnea) or hypopnea repeated many times during sleep. OSA is the most common breathing disorder during sleep. Depending on the age of the population studied and the diagnostic criteria applied, the incidence of OSA may range from 3 to 28%. OSA usually affects obese middle-aged men who present with very loud snoring with a tendency to fall asleep during the day. The main risk factors for OSA include: age, obesity and male sex. Airway obstruction during sleep typically occurs in the throat, and the airway lumen depends on the value of the negative pressure in the throat during inspiration, the degree of muscle tension in the throat, and the anatomy of the throat space.
The basic elements of OSA diagnostics are the polysomnographic examination of respiratory disorders during sleep and the presence of typical symptoms, which include drowsiness during the day and loud, irregular snoring and apneas observed by the patient’s family. Diagnosis of OSA is associated with an increased risk of hypertension, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events, and diabetes. Treatment of patients with OSA includes activities aimed at reducing body weight and avoiding sleeping in a supine position on the back. However, the basic method of treatment of OSA, particularly in subjects with a high degree of its severity, is the use of constant positive pressure in the airways (CPAP – Continuous Positive Airway Pressure). The mechanism of action of CPAP is based on stiffening of the soft structures of the upper respiratory tract, thus eliminating apneas and snoring. Surgical treatment is limited to patients with marked abnormalities in the anatomical structure of the upper respiratory tract significantly impeding CPAP treatment.