MáS ALLá DEL MOLESTO RONQUIDO: SíNDROME DE APNEA OBSTRUCTIVA DEL SUE？O Y SU PELIGROSA ASOCIACIóN CON EL SíNDROME METABóLICO

obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (osas) is a frequent disease that affects around 5% of the general population and almost half the obese patients. the association between osas and obesity has been well established since it was described for the first time. in the last few years a lot of literature has been issued that associates hypoxemia with the increase in cardiovascular and metabolic diseases which finally originates a major cardiovascular risk in patients not necessarily obese. due to hypoxemia secondary to airflow mechanical obstruction present in osas patients, there are physiopathogenic events such as the liberation of free oxygen radicals, the decrease of the expression of some enzymes useful for cholesterol cleavage and nitric oxide production, and the increase in the production of inflammatory mediators that generates a disruption in metabolic and endocrine ways, which also increases the risk of diabetes mellitus, insulin resistance, arterial hypertension, obesity and atherogenic dyslipidemia.