Obstructive sleep apnoea, congestive heart failure and cardiovascular disease.

Sleep disordered breathing is a common condition within the general community. Mostly this is represented by obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), a condition characterized by repetitive occlusions of the upper airway due to retro-positioning of the tongue and pharyngeal collapse during sleep. This article covers the key evidence relating OSA to both causation and progression of congestive heart failure and cardiovascular disease including hypertension. The results of recent studies are summarized, and the authors conclude that whilst progress has been made, there remain many gaps in our knowledge in relation to the contribution to the burden of cardiac disease produced by associated conditions such as OSA. Larger studies with important primary endpoints will be required to demonstrate the merit of screening and treating this disorder.