Diagnostic criteria for obstructive sleep apnea: time for reappraisal

The present diagnostic criteria for an obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) were established by the Report of an American Academy of Sleep Medicine Task Force published in 1999 (1), and often referred to as the “Chicago criteria”. This report, co-authored by the present writer, specified that OSAS requires the presence of sleep disordered breathing (SDB) measured in an overnight sleep study combined with the presence of symptoms typical of the disorder, most notably excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS).