ABSTRACT

At first glance, describing the ontogeny of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) across the human life span would appear to be a simple and straightforward matter. It has long been recognized that OSA exhibits clear age-related changes, beginning as a childhood condition, most closely associated with adenotonsillar hypertrophy or craniofacial deformity and evolving into a disorder of adults more strongly linked to obesity, age, and male sex.