Síndrome complejo de apneas del sueño

Sleep-related respiratory disorders have been classified as obstructive, central or mixed, according to the presence or nonpresence of respiratory stimulus. This classification may seem to be a bit simple, limiting it to the understanding of the complex mechanisms underlying the appearance of one type of event or another, which may have a common origin in the instability of respiratory control. While the obstructive events respond to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), treatment of the central events is more difficult. The appearance or deterioration of central apneas and the incomplete resolution of the obstructive events with the application of CPAP in some subjects is recognized as a new type of sleep-related respiratory disorder, the complex sleep apnea syndrome. In this review, the different forms of central apnea are studied, the fundamental pathogenic aspects, diagnosis and epidemiology of the complex sleep apnea syndrome are presented and the possible treatments are discussed.