Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Biomedical Perspective

Sleep is essential for the maintenance of physical and psychological health. Sleep-related breathing disorders or sleep-disordered breathing are characterized by abnormal respiration during sleep. “Sleep-related disorders have been classified into the following groups: Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), central sleep apnea, sleep-related hypoventilation and sleep-related hypoxemia.”1 Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a sleep disorder characterized by multiple interruptions in breathing during sleep caused by temporary obstructions in the airway. Although often neglected, OSA is a common sleep-related breathing disorder in adults as well as in children. It is unfortunate that currently, one billion people worldwide suffer from OSA and the number is expected to increase in the near future. The number of individuals affected by OSA has been reported to be the highest in China, followed by the USA, Brazil and India.2 This high prevalence of OSA represents a heavy burden on public health and warrants the development of novel approaches for the diagnosis and treatment of OSA.