the link between excess weight or obesity and obstructive sleep apnea has long been appreciated. In 1956, obstructive sleep apnea was recognized as a disease of obesity and hypoventilation: the Pickwickian syndrome (3). Since then, observations of patients diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea and findings from population studies have overwhelmingly supported a strong and likely causal role of overweight in this condition, more broadly described as sleep-disordered breathing (SDB).
