Snoring and Obstructive Sleep Apnea

The number of patients who suffer from snoring and sleep apnea in Iran has been increasing in proportionate to the rest of the world as the prevalence of obesity has soared within the last two decades. This pandemic obesity is blamed on consumption of more energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods with high levels of sugar and saturated fats. Obesity is one of the major contributing factors of obstructive sleep apnea. The number of people snoring in Iran is not well established, but since many years ago this bizarre behaviour was looked upon as an annoying sound that some people have and it was thought that they have to live with it. It was not until early twentieth century that scientists began to relate an association between snoring, obesity, and sleep-related disorders. At present time, it is well documented and universally agreed that snoring as well as sleep apnea are far more prevalent in societies and can lead to other serious illnesses including heart attack, stroke, and even nocturnal death. Obstructive sleep apnea is a term used to describe cession of breathing while sleep for a period of 10 seconds or more and repeated over five times per hour of sleep. In this article, we review various methods of surgical treatments and the long-term relapse potential for each.