Definition and symptoms of obstructive sleep apnoea in adults

Obstructive sleep apnoea is the most common form of sleep-disordered breathing in adults. Patients with obstructive sleep apnoea experience apnoeas and hypopnoeas during sleep, which reduce the restfulness of sleep and can cause daytime dysfunction (predominantly excessive daytime sleepiness).

The typical patient with obstructive sleep apnoea is overweight, middle-aged and male, and often has a short thick neck and a history of alcohol and tobacco consumption. However, women and thin young people can also develop sleep apnoea, especially those with abnormal anatomy (eg high arched palate, narrow anteroposterior diameter of the pharynx).

In addition to daytime sleepiness, untreated obstructive sleep apnoea is associated with:

• hypertension
• arrhythmias, such as paroxysmal atrial fibrillation
• cardiovascular mortality
• cerebrovascular mortality
• pregnancy-related hypertension and pre-eclampsia
• motor vehicle accidents, especially single-vehicle accidents at night.