Obstructive sleep apnea: a modern view of the problem

Abstract

Introduction. In recent years, there has been evidence not only of the widespread prevalence of the obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in the population, but also of the progression of the disease in the dynamic follow-up of patients. The purpose of this review article is to analyze the current state of etiopathogenesis, clinics of obstructive sleep apnea and to identify more promising treatment approaches and risk factors for its development. Materials and methods. The analysis of publications was performed for the period 2016-2021 on the basis of data from Elibrary, the Federal Electronic Medical Library of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, the bibliographic database of medical publications MEDLINE, created by the US National Library of Medicine. Sixty-one sources were selected for the review. Results and discussion. Obstructive sleep apnea is widely represented in the group of sleep disorders and is correlated with a number of clinical conditions: cardiovascular diseases (acute cerebrovascular disease, resistant arterial hypertension, coronary heart disease, heart rhythm disorder), endocrine system (diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, metabolic syndrome, obesity), ophthalmological pathology (neurooptikopathies), sudden death, etc. Severe daytime sleepiness due to OSA is not only a medical but also a social problem due to increased injury rates, accidents at work and on the road, and decreased labor productivity. Conclusion. The introduction of a comprehensive interdisciplinary approach to diagnostic standards will improve the detection and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea and improve the quality of life of patients. Change of lifestyle and use of PAP-therapy in patients with OSA is currently the most adequate direction in the treatment of this pathology. High prevalence, serious consequences for the nation's health and economy dictate the need for further study of markers of this disease for early prediction and primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases and diseases associated with obstructive sleep apnea.