Published online by Cambridge University Press: 26 May 2025
This chapter discusses sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), a highly prevalent condition that affects over 1 billion people worldwide, and the incidence of SDB is likely to increase in over the next decades. At first thought to be a moderate disruption in sleep, leading to snoring, intermittent awakenings and daytime sleepiness, SDB has now been shown to be strongly associated with severe health outcomes such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, pulmonary hypertension, and even death. Most of those with SDB suffer from obstructive sleep apnea resulting from upper airway obstruction during sleep, distinct from central sleep apnea in which the control of breathing in the brain is impaired. Diagnosis is primary made by polysomnography, with increasing application of lower cost and widely scalable home sleep apnea testing. In neuromuscular disease, SDB is more prevalent than in the general population. Treatment typically involves lifestyle management changes, CPAP therapy and noninvasive positive airway pressure ventilation. These and other treatment options, including dental appliances and surgical therapies, are presented.
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