Overview
Sleep apnea, also called obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), is a common disorder that affects more than 18 million people in the United States. In many of these people, the condition is undiagnosed. OSA takes its name from the Greek word apnea, which means "without breath." People with sleep apnea literally stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, often for a minute or longer and as many as hundreds of times during a single night.
Sleep apnea can be caused by either complete obstruction of the airway (obstructive apnea) or partial obstruction (obstructive hypopnea—hypopnea is slow, shallow breathing), both of which can wake one up. There are three types of sleep apnea—obstructive, central, and mixed. Of these, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common. OSA occurs in approximately 2 percent of women and 4 percent of men over the age of 35.
Physician-developed and -monitored.
Original Date of Publication: 01 Dec 2000
Reviewed by: Stanley J. Swierzewski, III, M.D.
Last Reviewed: 04 Dec 2007
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), Overview reprinted with permission from sleepdisorderchannel.com
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