The Challenges of Precision Medicine in Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Sleep Med Clin. 2016 Jun;11(2):213-26. doi: 10.1016/j.jsmc.2016.01.003. Epub 2016 Mar 2.

Abstract

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a highly prevalent condition that remains underdiagnosed and undertreated. The onerous and labor-intensive nature of polysomnography or similar diagnostic multichannel-based approaches paves the way for exploration of biomarkers aimed at diagnosis, morbidity detection, and monitoring of therapy and its outcomes. To this effect, "Omics" technologies coupled with appropriate bioinformatic approaches should enable discovery of unique biomarker-based signatures, enabling simplified and highly precise algorithms for the evaluation and treatment of symptomatic individuals. Such approaches are likely to not only lead to improved outcomes but also permit personalized medicine to become reality in the context of OSA.

Keywords: Biomarkers; Epigenetics; Gene arrays; Proteomics; Sleep apnea.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Biomarkers*
  • Humans
  • Precision Medicine / methods*
  • Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / diagnosis*
  • Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / therapy

Substances

  • Biomarkers