Chinese J Physiol
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Hypoxia is an important topic both physiologically and clinically. Traditionally, physiology research has been focusing on the effect of acute and chronic sustained hypoxia and human adaptive response to high altitude. In the past 20 years, genetic studies by many have expanded our understanding of hypoxia to the molecular level. ⋯ Despite the lack of a uniform definition, recent data suggest that CIH may lead to multiple long-term pathophysiologic consequences similar to what we see in patients with OSA. Recent evidences also demonstrate that there are remarkable differences in the response of the physiologic systems to sustained hypoxia and intermittent hypoxia. This review is aimed to briefly discuss the clinical significance of sleep-disordered breathing and our current understanding of CIH.