ABSTRACT
Sudden unexplained nocturnal death syndrom e (SU N D S ) is alw ays a difficulty in forensic m edicine researches. A lthough the developm ent of m olecular genetics prom otes the etiologic study of SU N D S, the pathogenesis of m ost such cases is still unclear. Sleep apnea syndrom e (SA S) is one of the com m on form s of sleep disorders, and obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrom e (O SA H S ) is the m ost com m on. In recent years, som e dom estic and international researches show that O SA H S is related to the developm ent of cardiovascular disease, w hich m ay cause cardiac arrhythm ia, even sudden death. T his article review s the relationship betw een SU N D S and O SA H S and aim s to provide new ideas for the pathogenesis of SU N D S.