Assessing the Effect of Weight loss through (Lifestyle Interventions, Physical Activity, Diet), on Severity of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) – Article Review

Introduction Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a highly prevalent condition associated with quality-of-life impairment as well as cardio-vascular diseases and mortality. [1,2] . Obesity is a modifiable risk factor which can be addressed for OSA. Lifestyle Interventions, particularly targeting weight loss, have been targeted in different medical trials, to assess its effect. Two decades ago, prospective observational studies reported that a 10% weight gain over 4 years is associated with a 32% increase in the apnea– hypopnea index (AHI) and, conversely, a 10% weight loss predicts a 26% decrease in AHI [3] . More recently, some randomised controlled trials (RCTs) with up to 4-year follow-up indicated that weight loss is associated with decreased OSA severity with an average change in AHI of 0.78 events/h for every kilogram of weight lost, and that a small proportion of patients can achieve remission of OSA (AHI < 5 events/h) [4,5] .