The condition in which soft tissue collapses in the upper airway blocking airflow is called?

• A. Central sleep apnea
• B. Obstructive sleep apnea
• C. Rhinitis
• D. Asthma

Answer: (B)

The key idea is that the airflow interruption comes from the upper airway tissues collapsing during sleep. In obstructive sleep apnea, the pharyngeal or soft palate tissues relax and sag enough to block the airway, even though the person is still trying to breathe. This causes repeated pauses in breathing, often with snoring and morning sleepiness.

This differs from central sleep apnea, where the brain doesn’t send the proper signal to breathe, so there’s breathing cessation without airway collapse. Rhinitis and asthma don’t involve this upper airway collapse mechanism: rhinitis is nasal inflammation causing congestion, and asthma is lower airway obstruction from bronchoconstriction.