Association between Sleep Apnoea

Sleep apnoea is a global disease with a rising incidence along with the increasing prevalence of obesity. Repeated episodes of apnoea result in fragmented sleep and daytime sleepiness which can further lead to cardiovascular disorders. Since obesity shares many of its pathogenetic mechanisms with sleep apnoea , it is an active confounder in the link between sleep apnoea and cardiovascular diseases. Obesity significantly increases the risk of CAD and is also associated with a number of other risk factors for atherosclerosis, including hypertension, insulin resistance and glucose intolerance, hypertriglyceridemia, reduced HDL cholesterol, and low levels of adiponectin. OSA and obesity share similar pathophysiologic mechanisms potentially leading to cardiovascular disorders.