Lifestyle Intervention Treatment for Patients With Mild Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is one of the most common sleep disturbances, and it has been estimated that one out of five adults has at least some degree of sleep related breathing disturbances. Obstructive sleep apnea affects mostly the middle-aged work force, and causes a negative impact on public health by increasing both morbidity and mortality. Obesity is related to many diseases including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and metabolic syndrome,and obesity is also considered as the most important risk factor for OSA.Considering the prevalence of mild OSA, and the beneficial effects of even a slight weight loss on both the severity of OSA and the likelihood of developing OSA, lifestyle intervention including weight reduction represents a viable option for the treatment of patients with mild OSA.However, although included in the clinical guidelines, there is a definite lack of well executed studies on the effect of weight reduction upon OSA. Accordingly, we are conducting a randomized study on the effects of lifestyle intervention in the most prevalent subgroup of OSA patients, overweight patients with mild OSA. The study is an on-going prospective, randomized, parallel group trial. The main objective of the study is to determine whether a supervised lifestyle intervention including individualized dietary counseling could be a curative treatment for patients with mild OSA.