Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Mechanisms, Comorbidities, and Optimization of Emerging and Established Therapies
A special issue of Biomedicines (ISSN 2227-9059). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular and Translational Medicine".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 February 2026 | Viewed by 587
Special Issue Editors
Interests: obstructive sleep apnea (OSA); sleep disorders; sleep-disordered breathing; oxidative stress in sleep apnea, inflammation and sleep apnea; cardiovascular comorbidities of OSA; biomarkers for sleep apnea; therapeutic targets for OSA; translational research in sleep medicine; neurocognitive impairment related to sleep disorders
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a prevalent, yet underdiagnosed, sleep-related breathing disorder characterized by intermittent upper airway obstruction and fragmented sleep. It involves complex and multifactorial pathophysiological mechanisms that contribute to diverse clinical phenotypes and a wide range of systemic effects. Recent research has enhanced our understanding of OSA’s heterogeneity, including its pathophysiological mechanisms that lead to strong associations with cardiovascular, metabolic, and neurocognitive comorbidities, as well as its impact on daytime functioning and overall quality of life.
Despite these advances, important challenges remain. A deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms of and the interactions between OSA and its comorbid conditions is still needed. At the same time, effective management continues to be hindered by the limitations of current therapies, most notably, suboptimal adherence to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), the gold-standard treatment. These challenges underscore the importance of improved disease phenotyping, the identification of reliable biomarkers, and the exploration of novel therapeutic targets, as well as efforts to optimize both established and emerging treatment strategies.
This Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive overview of current research on OSA, focusing on disease mechanisms, comorbidities, and the optimization of emerging and established therapies. We welcome manuscripts addressing molecular and physiological mechanisms, novel diagnostic or prognostic biomarkers, translational studies, and personalized treatment approaches, including innovations to improve therapy adherence.
By integrating multidisciplinary perspectives, this Special Issue seeks to advance clinically relevant research and support the development of more effective, individualized management pathways for patients living with OSA.
Dr. Ivana Pavlinac Dodig
Dr. Renata Pecotic
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biomedicines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- obstructive sleep apnea
- sleep-disordered breathing
- pathophysiology
- cardiometabolic comorbidities
- precision medicine
- CPAP
- sleep diagnostics
- biomarkers
- neurocognitive impairment
- new therapies
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.