Obstructive sleep apnea: A modifiable risk factor for stroke?

Stroke is well-established to be a leading cause of not only death, but also disability. As with any other medical condition, prevention and risk factor modification are preferable to treatment of emergent disease. This underscores the importance of understanding the relationships of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) to stroke and its risk factors. While the data are conflicting regarding the absolute causative relationship of OSA to stroke, there is a wealth of information relating OSA to many other vascular conditions and risk factors. Given that OSA is relatively easy to diagnose and treat, and the benefits of risk factor modification and improved quality of life are inarguable, appropriate diagnosis and management of OSA become vital.