Sleep Medicine Reviews
Volume 4, Issue 5 , Pages 435-452, October 2000

CLINICAL REVIEW ARTICLE: Weight loss as a treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea

  • VA Barvaux

      Affiliations

    • Pneumology Unit, Cliniques Universitaires St Luc, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, 1200, Belgium
    • ,
  • G Aubert

      Affiliations

    • EEG Unit, Cliniques Universitaires St Luc, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, 1200, Belgium
    • ,
  • DO Rodenstein

      Affiliations

    • Pneumology Unit, Cliniques Universitaires St Luc, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, 1200, Belgium

Received, accepted

Abstract 

Obesity is a major health problem in well-developed societies. It is frequently associated with metabolic, cardiovascular and psychological comorbid conditions. Besides, it is known that obesity constitutes a risk factor for obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). Weight loss has been evaluated as a treatment for OSA. We reviewed the nature of the link between obesity and OSA as well as the conservative and surgical therapeutic approaches of obesity. We consider the effectiveness of weight loss alone or combined with other modalities of treatment in OSA. We conclude that although weight loss is important and can facilitate the treatment of OSA, it can rarely cure it without being associated to classical techniques, such as nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP).

Keywords: obstructive sleep apnoea, weight loss, obesity.

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  • f1 Correspondence to be addressed to: D. O. Rodenstein, Pneumology Unit, Cliniques Universitaires St Luc, Avenue Hippocrate, 10, 1200 Brussels, Belgium. Fax: 32-2-7643703; Email: rodenstein@pneu.ucl.ac.be

PII: S1087-0792(00)90114-X

doi:10.1053/smrv.2000.0114

Sleep Medicine Reviews
Volume 4, Issue 5 , Pages 435-452, October 2000

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