Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Syndrome as a Systemic Low-Grade Inflammatory Disorder

Though clinically recognized for more than four decades (Gastaut et al., 1965), general awareness of OSAS has been slow to develop. OSAS has been associated with cardiovascular disease (Marin et al., 2005; Duran-Cantolla et al., 2010; Barbe et al., 2010), automobile accidents (Teran-Santos et al., 1999), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (Chaouat et al., 1995), heart failure (Oldenburg et al., 2007) and health related quality of life deterioration (Pichel et al., 2004). OSAS often coexists with obesity and has been related to insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome (Choi et al., 2008).