The term "sleep-disordered breathing" (SDB) refers to conditions where apneas and hypopneas are present during sleep.
Approximately one in every five adults have SDB.
Up to 80% of these are unaware of their condition and remain undiagnosed and untreated.
The most common form of SDB is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), but sleep-disordered breathing also occurs in conditions experienced by patients with chest wall, neuromuscular, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or lung disease, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Because the symptoms of sleep apnea present themselves as a result of a precursor, SDB has become the general term used to describe any disease state that manifests apneas and/or hypopneas during sleep.
While the mechanisms of these apneas and hypopneas differ, a basic explanation of sleep apnea may provide the best in-road to understanding the significance of sleep-disordered breathing.