NEW YORK (Dispatches) -- Scientists find that people with certain sleep disorders have more severe outcomes from COVID-19, including a 31 percent higher rate of hospitalization and mortality.
The research suggested that while patients with sleep-disordered breathing and sleep-related hypoxia do not have increased risk of developing COVID-19, they have a worse clinical prognosis from the disease.The study led by Reena Mehra, M.D., analyzed retrospective data from 5,400 Cleveland Clinic patients.
Dr. Mehra, director of Sleep Disorder Research at Cleveland Clinic said that their study improved their understanding of the association between sleep disorders and the risk for adverse COVID-19 outcomes. It suggested biomarkers of inflammation may mediate this relationship.’
Scientists 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.