• Yanru Ou, Dandan Zong, and Ruoyun Ouyang.
• Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410011, China.
• Chin. Med. J. 2023 Mar 20; 136 (6): 631644631-644.

AbstractObstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common condition that has considerable impacts on human health. Epigenetics has become a rapidly developing and exciting area in biology, and it is defined as heritable alterations in gene expression and has regulatory effects on disease progression. However, the published literature that is integrating both of them is not sufficient. The purpose of this article is to explore the relationship between OSA and epigenetics and to offer better diagnostic methods and treatment options. Epigenetic modifications mainly manifest as post-translational modifications in DNA and histone proteins and regulation of non-coding RNAs. Chronic intermittent hypoxia-mediated epigenetic alterations are involved in the progression of OSA and diverse multiorgan injuries, including cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders, pulmonary hypertension, neural dysfunction, and even tumors. This article provides deeper insights into the disease mechanism of OSA and potential applications of targeted diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis in OSA complications.Copyright © 2023 The Chinese Medical Association, produced by Wolters Kluwer, Inc. under the CC-BY-NC-ND license.

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