Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common disorder that affects up to 25% of adult men. Untreated severe OSA increases the risk of all cause and cardiovascular mortality based on cohort studies.
The increased risk could be due to obesity and it complications such as increased visceral abdominal fat, insulin resistance and increased liver fat which are central components of the metabolic syndrome.
Current evidence regarding the impact of cardiovascular mortality attributable by OAS induced metabolic dysregulation is unclear however.
There is accumulating evidence that intermittent hypoxia and sleep fragmentation may contribute to the OSA-obesity-metabolic syndrome in both animal and human studies.
In spite of the potential independent role of OSA in the contribution towards metabolic syndrome, a healthy diet, weight loss are equally if not more important than continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in the management of OSA.