ABSTRACT
In 1877, W.H. Broadbent, a British physician, provided one of the earliest
descriptions of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) (1) in the journal
Lancet. He characterized the condition as failure of inspiration to overcome the
resistance in the pharynx leading to snoring and periods of perfect silence during
several respiratory periods. It was not until the mid to late 1900s that the high
prevalence of this condition in children and adults was recognized by the
medical community. The mounting knowledge of OSAS and of its pathogenesis
evolved over time as we began learning about the association of the disorder
with serious adverse health outcomes. Significant progress has been made over
the last two decades in our understanding of the mechanisms mediating adverse
health outcomes due to OSAS. Such progress was supported by the technological
advances in the study of sleep, in the continuous monitoring of ventilatory
parameters, and finally in the revolution in molecular techniques. Specifically,
these advances supported the investigation of the inflammatory and metabolic
disease mechanisms in children and adults with OSAS.
