Enlargement of the tonsils and adenoids is one of the most common causes of obstructive sleep apnea. However, other causes of obstruction such as chronic rhinorrhea and congestion, nasal septal deviation, and nasal turbinate enlargement need to be assessed and treated. If the oral exam shows edema of the posterior pharyngeal wall, thus decreasing the size of the posterior pharyngeal airway, gastro-esophageal reflux or chronic post-nasal drainage should be considered.

According to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, there are some patterns of syndrome that lead to sleep apnea syndrome:
1. Lung spleen deficiency.
2. Lung and stomach deficiency.
3. Heart and kidney deficiency.

Integration of Chinese medicine and western medicine would be a good choice for this disease. When treating sleep apnea syndrome, Chinese doctors will take everything into consideration, including the following conditons.
1. Adenoid
2. Hypertrophy of tonsil
3. Nasal polyp
4. Macroglossia
5. Nasal and throat tumors