Rare diseases · Sign or symptom

Obstructive sleep apnea

HP:0002870

What it means

Obstructive Sleep Apnea is a condition characterized by the obstruction of the airway and pauses in breathing during sleep, which occur multiple times throughout the night. It is related to the relaxation of muscle tone that typically happens during sleep, leading to a partial collapse of the soft tissues in the airway and causing airflow obstruction.

Rare diseases that can present with this41

The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.

Part of the broader category

Also called: Obstructive sleep apnoea

Obstructive sleep apnea

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This page uses the Human Phenotype Ontology (2026-06-23) — Human Phenotype Ontology Consortium, hpo.jax.org. Disease associations from Orphanet (INSERM), CC BY 4.0. Content is educational and is not medical advice.