Obstructive Sleep Apnoea: Therapeutic Options and Challenges

Abstract

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a common sleep disorder that is associated with significant negative health outcomes including cardiovascular disease, daytime sleepiness, neurocognitive deficits, and increased motor vehicle and workplace accidents. There is wide variation in OSA symptoms and other downstream effects between patients highlighting the need to individualise therapy. Continuous positive airway pressure delivered by a face mask is the gold standard treatment, but adherence to this therapy is poor and improvements in outcomes are often incomplete. A range of alternative treatments are available and may suit different patients. These include behavioural treatments such as weight loss, mandibular advancement using an oral device, sleep posture modification, upper airway surgery, and upper airway muscle stimulation. Towards individualised OSA therapy, novel phenotyping approaches are being developed to identify the specific pathophysiological causes of OSA applying to individual patients. Furthermore, research is underway to help identify patients with OSA at higher risk of daytime sleepiness and adverse cardiovascular and neurocognitive consequences and predict how individuals might respond to treatment. In this article, we review the prevalence, risk factors, and main consequences of OSA; the main treatment modalities available at present; and some new methods for phenotyping patients with OSA that hold promise for a more personalised and effective approach to screening, diagnosis, and treatment.