Apnea obstructiva del sueño; más allá de la enfermedad cardiovascular

Abstract

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is a disease with increasing prevalence in the population, characterized by the collapse of the upper airways during sleep and ineffective respiratory efforts. Some of its associated features include central obesity, nasal septum deviation, and turbinate hypertrophy. The diagnosis of this disease is carried out by polysomnography and sleep studies. Sleep apnea, due to its different pathophysiological mechanisms, has been described in multiple comorbidities and associated with different pathologies, so the objective of this review is to illustrate how sleep apnea is a disease that does not only restrict cardiovascular disease and can affect different systems, producing and exacerbating different pathologies. The treatment of this entity is based on the use of positive pressure devices, which have been shown to reduce mortality and positively impact the quality of life of patients suffering from obstructive sleep apnea.