Study suggests sleep disorders linked to more severe outcomes from Covid-19

JAMA Network Open Study on Covid-19: New research has shown a 31 percent increased risk for hospitalisation and mortality in patients with sleep-disordered breathing and sleep-related hypoxia. The findings of the study were published in the journal 'JAMA Network Open'. The research team, led by Reena Mehra, MD, analysed retrospective data from 5,400 Cleveland Clinic patients. Also read | Punjabi made compulsory for all students from Classes I to 10 in Punjab The findings showed that while patients with sleep-disordered breathing and sleep-related hypoxia do not have an increased risk of developing COVID-19, they have a worse clinical prognosis from the disease. Also read | SC suggests 2-day lockdown in Delhi to tackle air pollution "As the Covid-19 pandemic continues and the disease remains highly variable from patient to patient, it is critical to improving our ability to predict who will have a more severe illness so that we can appropriately allocate resources," said Dr. Mehra, director of Sleep Disorder Research at Cleveland Clinic. "This study improved our understanding of the association between sleep disorders and the risk for adverse Covid-19 outcomes. It suggests biomarkers of inflammation may mediate this relationship," said Dr. Mehra. Researchers used Cleveland Clinic's Covid-19 research registry, which includes data from nearly 360,000 patients tested for Covid-19 at Cleveland Clinic, of which 5,400 had an available sleep study record. Sleep study findings and Covid-19 positivity were assessed along with disease severity. The team also accounted for co-morbidities such as obesity, heart and lung disease, cancer and smoking. The findings set the stage for additional studies to identify whether early effective treatments such as PAP (positive airway pressure) or oxygen administration can improve Covid-19 outcomes. -PTC News