| [ Summary ] |
SAS, originally advocated by Guilleminault et al in 1976, was a concept solely defined by AI. Recent studies, however, revealed that hypopnea during sleep is also clinically significant. The most frequent type of SAS is obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). The diagnostic criteria for OSAHS proposed by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine in 1999 include not only AHI, but signs and symptoms of obstructive breathing, along with EDS and other abnormal findings related to sleep. Accordingly, indications for treatment take into consideration not only severity, defined by AHI, but concomitant symptoms and/or complications.
Incidences of clinical symptoms of OSAHS show some differences among the reports, the most important being EDS, heavy habitual snoring and abnormal body (leg) movement during sleep. |