Obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome(OSAS)is a common sleep breathing disorder with a high prevalence.Chitinase-3-like protein-1(YKL-40)is a heparin-chitin-binding glycoprotein originally found in mouse cancer cells and is considered to be a marker of macrophage activation.Studies have shown that YKL-40 is stably ex-pressed in a variety of diseases,including OSAS,with high specificity.As an inflammatory cytokine in patients,YKL-40 can be used for the diagnosis and grading of OSAS.This article reviews the research progress of YKL-40,OSAS and its complications.