Obstructive Sleep Apnoea, Atrial Fibrillation and Erectile Dysfunction – The OSAFED Syndrome – Is there More than Meets the Eye?

Abstract

Obstructive sleep apnoea, atrial fibrillation and erectile dysfunction (OSAFED) syndrome is a new clinical entity recently introduced into clinical practice. The acronym consists of the first letters of the three clinical entities that comprise the disease, namely obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), atrial fibrillation (AF) and erectile dysfunction (ED). As with many other clinical syndromes, OSAFED syndrome groups several clinical entities, which seemingly concern various organs and have different symptoms, but are closely associated by sharing risk factors and phenotype, and effecting cardiovascular risk in the same manner. OSA, AF and ED are also highly prevalent in the general population and tend to coexist. OSAFED syndrome was named as such to show how important diagnosis is of all these components in specific groups of patient. It is crucial for clinicians to improve the diagnosis and early treatment of all – OSA, AF and ED – and the incorporation of all these factors into one syndrome might help to facilitate this process.