title: Genetics of obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To have a better understanding of genetic contributions to the development of obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) by reviewing studies on its genetic basis.
  
  
  METHODS
  A comprehensive search of the PubMed literature without restriction on the publication date was carried out using terms "obstructive sleep apnea" and "candidate genes" or "genetics".
  
  
  METHODS
  Articles were selected if they were an original research paper or meta analysis of the genetic factors of OSAHS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four intermediate phenotypes were described and several candidate genes that may determine the expression and severity of OSAHS were reviewed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Multiple gene-gene interactions occurring in genes that affect obesity, craniofacial structure, ventilator control and asleep-awake pattern may influence the expression of OSAHS in a suitable environment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100730, China.
authors.forename: Dongmei
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100730, China. Email: xiaoyipumch@sina.com.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100730, China.
authors.forename: Jinmei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Luo
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000235:genetics; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000235:genetics*