Abstract: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is characterized by repeated intermittent hypoxia (IH), hypercapnia, sleep fragmentation and intrathoracic pressure change. The IH is related to hypertension, atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, arrhythmia, stroke, heart failure and sudden death and so on. IH from OSA can lead to metabolic dysregulation, endothelial dysfunction, systemic inflammation, oxidative stress and the change of nerve body fluids, which has been shown to increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases. This paper mainly describes the pathogenesis of IH leading to the various cardiovascular diseases.

Key words: sleep apnea, obstructive, anoxia, hypertension, atherosclerosis, coronary disease, arrhythmias, 心性