# A Novel mHealth Approach for the Monitoring and Assisted Therapeutics of Obstructive Sleep Apnea
## 1 Introduction
Currently, OSA is also associated with serious complications such as mood disorders, cardiovascular disorders, neurocognitive sequels, hypertension, diabetes, heart failure, arrhythmias, strokes, and pulmonary hypertension [9]. These complications highlight the heterogeneity of the various clinical manifestations of OSA, as well as its possible health complications. Nowadays, there is an increased alertness and concern within society towards this disease, which was once considered minor, but which has a direct impact on people's daily lives. Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome represents a major public health problem with potential singular and collective consequences. The recognition and treatment of this syndrome is increasingly essential, so that a significant burden of risk is avoided and so that there is an improvement in the quality of life of the people who are affected by this disease, both directly and indirectly. As with the clinical heterogeneity, the pathophysiology of OSA is also multifactorial. It is subdivided into \"anatomical\" and \"non-anatomical\" causes [10]. At the anatomical level, for OSA to be present, there must be some degree of upper airway involvement. Some studies have identified major anatomical abnormalities of the pharynx in people with this disease. For example, narrow pharyngeal airways, increased airway length, and the inner diameter of the pharynx (pharyngeal lumen) are strongly associated with a predisposition of the pharynx to collapse during sleep. The constituent structures of the pharynx that have a direct contribution to airway collapse are the dilator muscles, such as the genioglossus muscle; the soft palate; the lateral pharyngeal walls; and the epiglottis. Some of the anatomical factors that carry inherent risk factors for this disease and its severity are craniofacial morphology, hyoid bone position, airway surface tension, and fat tongue. In recent years, factors other than pharyngeal anatomy and craniofacial structure have been a target of study and research, and their potential role has been recognized. Some of the main non-anatomical factors are unstable breath control during sleep, low respiratory arousal threshold (LRAT), and the poor functioning of the pharyngeal dilator muscle. These factors, when combined with some anatomical factors, can perpetuate the severity of the disease [11; 12; 13]. There are also other preponderant factors in this disease, such as the following:  
* Gender--OSA is more common in men than in women. In the general population, the male-female rate is estimated to be 2:1, and the prevalence of nocturnal \"snoring\" shows similar gender differences. Possible explanations for the male predominance lie in the hormonal effects on the upper airway muscles, differences in body fat distribution between genders, and pharyngeal anatomical differences. Hormonal influence may play an important role in the pathogenesis of OSA in females, as the prevalence is higher in postmenopausal women [14; 15]. * Age--The prevalence of OSA also increases with age. Unlike \"snoring\", there continues to be an increase, even after the age of 60. However, the frequency of this syndrome seems to decrease after the age of 65 [16]. These data are corroborated by a study that was performed on a sample of 5615 male and female individuals, between 40 and 98 years of age. This study found a stabilization in the prevalence of OSA in people over 65 years of age. Although, in previous studies an extremely high prevalence of respiratory diseases have been detected in people over the age of 65. However, the lack of a continuous increase in the prevalence of OSA from the age of 65 to 99 years, has led the researchers to conclude that an age-related increase should occur before the age of 65 [17]. * Obesity--Obesity is an important risk factor for the onset of OSA, and most patients with this disease are overweight. It is estimated that 58% of moderate to severe cases of OSA are due to a body mass index (BMI) equal to or greater than 25 kg/m\({}^{2}\).