Obesity and weight loss in obstructive sleep apnea: a critical review.
Publication/Presentation Date
2-1-1996
Abstract
Clinic-based and epidemiological studies demonstrate a strong association between obesity and obstructive sleep apnea. However, defining the causal relationship between excess body weight and sleep-disordered breathing remains difficult. Potential mechanisms to be considered include: (1) alterations in upper airway structure; (2) alterations in upper airway function; (3) alterations in the balance between ventilatory drive and load and (4) obesity-induced hypoxemia. Additional evidence for the role of obesity in obstructive sleep apnea comes from clinical studies of weight loss in patients with sleep-disordered breathing. Significant weight loss has been reported in most studies, which has been associated with varying degrees of improvement in sleep-disordered breathing, oxygen hemoglobin saturation, sleep architecture and daytime performance. Surgical and nonsurgical approaches to weight loss have been evaluated, although most studies to date suffer from methodological limitations including lack of random assignment to treatment groups, confounding of treatment interventions, absence of untreated controls and lack of adequate follow-up assessment. Implications for research and clinical practice are discussed.
Volume
19
Issue
2
First Page
104
Last Page
115
ISSN
0161-8105
Published In/Presented At
Strobel, R. J., & Rosen, R. C. (1996). Obesity and weight loss in obstructive sleep apnea: a critical review. Sleep, 19(2), 104–115. https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/19.2.104
Disciplines
Medicine and Health Sciences
PubMedID
8855032
Department(s)
Department of Medicine
Document Type
Article