Obstructive sleep apnea: can the downward spiral be reversed—a summary of John Stradling’s ATS keynote speech

In a gripping ATS keynote speech Professor John Stradling from Oxford argued his view of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as a self-perpetuating disease, and the potential of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) to reverse some of the pathophysiological changes that are both caused by and contribute to OSA. In his view, CPAP use may allow patients to enter a “remission phase” of sleep apnea, or that reversal of these changes may also allow for successful treatment with non-CPAP therapies in selected individuals that would otherwise not work as initial therapy.