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Sleep disordered breathing, especially obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), has a high and increasing prevalence. Depending on the apnoea and hypopnoea scoring criteria used, and depending on the sex and age of the subjects investigated, prevalence varies between 3% and 49% of the general population. These varying prevalences need to be reflected when considering screening for OSA. OSA is a cardiovascular risk factor and patients are at risk when undergoing medical interventions such as surgery. Screening for OSA before anaesthesia and surgical interventions is increasingly considered. Therefore, methods for screening and the rationale for screening for OSA are reviewed in this study.