Editorial
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Dec 16, 2024; 12(35): 6754-6759
Published online Dec 16, 2024. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v12.i35.6754
Update on the aetiopathogenesis of obstructive sleep apnea: Role of inflammatory and immune mediated mechanisms
Deb Sanjay Nag, Koshy Varghese, Amlan Swain, Roushan Patel, Seelora Sahu, Merina Sam
Deb Sanjay Nag, Koshy Varghese, Amlan Swain, Roushan Patel, Seelora Sahu, Merina Sam, Department of Anaesthesiology, Tata Main Hospital, Jamshedpur 831001, Jharkhand, India
Amlan Swain, Roushan Patel, Seelora Sahu, Department of Anaesthesiology, Manipal Tata Medical College, Jamshedpur 831017, India
Author contributions: Nag DS, Varghese K, Swain A, Patel R, Sahu S, Sam M contributed to this paper; Nag DS and Varghese K designed the overall concept and outline of the manuscript; Varghese K, Swain A, Patel R, and Sam M contributed to the discussion and design of the manuscript and review of literature; Nag DS, Varghese K, Swain A, Patel R, Sahu S, and Sam M contributed to the writing and editing of the manuscript; Sahu S, Patel R, and Sam M contributed in the reference indexing and formatting of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Deb Sanjay Nag, MD, Doctor, Department of Anaesthesiology, Tata Main Hospital, C Road West, Northern Town, Bistupur, Jamshedpur 831001, Jharkhand, India. ds.nag@tatasteel.com
Received: March 10, 2024
Revised: August 19, 2024
Accepted: September 9, 2024
Published online: December 16, 2024
Processing time: 228 Days and 3.6 Hours
Abstract

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is often a lifestyle disease associated with obesity, which is rapidly evolving as a major health concern with diverse multisystemic implications. To prevent and mitigate its adverse effects and reduce its burden on society, its aetiopathogeneses must be precisely understood. Numerous studies focusing on the range of diverse anatomic, functional, and lifestyle factors have already been carried out to determine the possible contributory roles of these factors in OSA. Recently, evidence to validate the role of inflammatory pathways and immune mechanisms in the aetiopathogeneses of OSA is being developed. This allows for further research and translation of such knowledge for targeted therapeutic and preventive interventions in patients with or who are at risk of developing OSA.

Keywords: Sleep apnea; Obstructive; Polysomnography; Mendelian randomization analysis; Cytokines; C-reactive protein

Core Tip: Although sleep-disordered breathing is any abnormal respiration that occurs during sleep, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common sleep-related breathing disorder. Its pathogenesis involves a complex interplay of anatomical and functional factors, along with immune cell dysfunction owing to chronic intermittent hypoxia-induced oxidative stress. Thus, to develop specific therapeutic modalities and enhance clinical outcomes in patients with or who are at risk of OSA, these mechanisms must be understood.