Recognition and consequences of obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome.

There is a growing recognition of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in patient groups and in the general population. This article reviews issues related to recognizing the disorder, including the problems of relying on narrowly defined polysomnographic data for case findings and for assessment of disease severity. The distributions of symptoms and physiologic measurements of SDB in the population and their inter-relationships are reviewed. The epidemiological data that address risk factors and consequences of sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (SAHS) also are discussed, with recommendations regarding recognition priorities.