阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停低通气综合征是一种病因不明的睡眠呼吸疾病，临床表现有夜间睡眠打鼾伴呼吸暂停和白天嗜睡。由于呼吸暂停引起反复发作的夜间低氧和高碳酸血症，可导致高血压，冠心病，糖尿病和脑血管疾病等并发症及交通事故，甚至出现夜间猝死。因此OSAHS是一种有潜在致死性的睡眠呼吸疾病。

睡眠呼吸中止症是一种在睡眠期间，暂停呼吸或呼吸减弱症状导致的睡眠紊乱。每一次的暂停期间可从数秒钟到数分钟不等，而且整晚发生好几次。在一般情况下，这个症状会产生吵杂的打鼾声。当重新呼吸时，有时会有窒息或鼻音等的声音出现。当此症状破坏正常睡眠时，会造成白天的嗜睡或感到疲累的现象。对于儿童，会产生在学校的状况问题或注意力不足过动症。

Sleep apnea, also spelled sleep apnoea, is a sleep disorder in which pauses in breathing or periods of shallow breathing during sleep occur more often than normal. Each pause can last for a few seconds to a few minutes and they happen many times a night. In the most common form, this follows loud snoring. There may be a choking or snorting sound as breathing resumes. Because the disorder disrupts normal sleep, those affected may experience sleepiness or feel tired during the day. In children, it may cause hyperactivity or problems in school.

Disorders characterized by multiple cessations of respirations during sleep that induce partial arousals and interfere with the maintenance of sleep. Sleep apnea syndromes are divided into central (see SLEEP APNEA, CENTRAL), obstructive (see SLEEP APNEA, OBSTRUCTIVE), and mixed central-obstructive types.