Positional obstructive sleep apnea as a new interdisciplinary challenge

Abstract

Severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a life-threatening condition in children and adults. Recently, a rising interest emerges in the positionalOSA (POSA) as a specific clinical manifestation a relatively common sleep breathing disorder in young and adult patients. In the present concise survey, some essential characteristics of POSA reported in the newly published literature are described. A special attention is paid to the social epidemiology, diagnosis, and modern treatment of POSA from an interdisciplinary point of view.