Snoring and Apnoea: a Sign of an Underlying Disease and Its Treatment

Abstract

The term sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) applies to a range of conditions which impact numerous branches of medical science. The range extends from primary snoring, via upper airway resistance syndrome (UARS), to obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAH). The most commonly encountered manifestation of SDB is snoring. Sometimes, snoring does not signify disease, or may be the result of a modifiable factor (a blocked nose, being overly tired, agents that cause central nervous depression, sleeping in a particular way). It may also be due to both disease and another non-pathological factor. The definition of apnea is a pause in breathing with a duration of at least ten seconds. Apnea in the context of OSA is linked to a cessation in the mechanical events of respiration (i.e.] thoracic movement). Central apnea is not associated with chest wall movement, but it is seldom seen. Mixed apnea refers to a derangement in respiration consisting of initial central apnea followed by obstructive apnea. Hypopnea involves a degree of lessened ventilation but with ongoing mechanical effort to breathe, and lasting a minimum of ten seconds. Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is by definition a longstanding condition affecting sleep in which the airway keeps becoming partly or totally blocked and thus the flow of air ceasing, in spite of the continuation of muscular effort supporting ventilation. The intermittent obstruction keeps causing arousal in patients and thus interrupts their sleep. Diagnosis and treatment of OSAS are reviewed. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023.