ABSTRACT
Obstructive sleep apnea （OSA） is a sleep disorder with a slow course and is often accompanied by multiple serious complications， having highly consistent pathogenic characteristics with the latent pathogen. By exploreing its pathogenesis and treatment based on the latent pathogen theory in traditional Chinese medicine， it is believed that congenital healthy qi deficiency is the root， while internal latent phlegm and stasis is the branch， and external pathogenic seven emotions are causing factors. In terms of treatment， it is necessary to target at root deficiency and use nourishing medicinals according to depletion degree of lungs， spleen， and kidneys. When protecting the healthy qi， it is important to prevent the generation and inducing of latent pathogen. Simultaneously， it is also critical to put focus on phlegm stasis by clearing existing latent pathogens with medicinals having the function of dissolving phlegm and dispelling stasis， as well as regulating liver and lung qi. All these are expected to provide new ideas and methods for the treatment of OSA patients in clinical practice.