Complications

Complication
Timeframe
Likelihood
short term
high

Can occur with short-term sleep deprivation.[225]

Overview of diabetes

long term
high

Risk of hypertension, dysrhythmia, stroke, coronary artery disease, and chronic kidney disease is elevated with OSA.[12][25][161]​​​​[217]​​​​​​[218]​​[219][220]​​​​​​ A possible common mechanism is oxidative stress secondary to hypoxia, endothelial dysfunction, and sympathetic autonomic activation.

long term
high

Potentially attributed to sleep fragmentation and/or oxidative stress.[221]

Depression in adults

long term
high

Sleepiness and decreased attention are common with OSA, and motor vehicle accident risk rate is higher than normal. The patient may report a history of motor vehicle accidents due to sleepiness while driving.[26][27]

long term
high

Lower arousal, alertness, executive attention, and intelligence.[222] Potentially attributed to sleep fragmentation and/or oxidative stress.

OSA has also been associated with increased risk of all-cause dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson's disease dementia.[220][223]

Neuroimaging studies have identified central nervous system lesions in OSA patients.[224]

long term
medium

Predominantly due to cardiovascular disease.[164][226][227]​​[228]

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