목적: Obesity is considered to be one of the most important risk factors for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) but less is known about the role of ethnicity in OSA. The purpose of this study was to investigate the interethnic difference of obesity-related phenotypes in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and to reveal the role of ethnicity in OSA. 방법:We searched Medline, LILACS, SCOPUS, and the Cochrane Library using the key words sleep apnea, body mass index (BMI), neck circumference (NC), waist circumference (WC), waist to hip ratio (WHR), etc. All studies were included if the study population was limited to adults, polysomnography was performed, obesity-related parameters were measured, and there was a clear demarcation of ethnicity. Included studies were reviewed by 2 independent reviewers. The following information was collected for controls and OSA number, age, gender, country, ethnicity (Asian or Caucasian), study design, AHI/RDI, BMI, NC, WC, and/or WHR. 결과:8,312 publications were retrieved with a subsequent 19 manuscripts that met the selection criteria. A total of 2,966 patients were included for analysis. The main findings were 1) There was no difference in BMI, WC, and WHR between patients with OSA and controls after accounting for publication bias, 2) Patients with OSA have greater NC than controls (SMD 0.89, 95% CI 0.63 to 1.14), and 3) However, NC was not different between Asian and Caucasians patients (P = 0.178). 결론:OSA might not be related with BMI, WC, and WHR. Only NC demonstrated a strong association with OSA, and this finding was not different between Asians and Caucasians.