Abstract
Obstructive sleep apnea is a chronic disease characterized by the appearance of apnea or hypopnea episodes during sleep. This condition is associated with several risk factors. Among them, the most important is obesity and it is the only potentially curable. The treatment is polimodal and it involves several therapeutic directions. The purpose of this paper is to establish the role of obesity in the etiology of sleep apnea, as well as the role of the weight loss in its management, both through intensive lifestyle interventions and surgical therapy.