Adult COVID-19 patients with sleep-disordered breathing and related low oxygen levels had a higher risk of hospitalization and death, finds a study in JAMA Network Open.
A team led by Cleveland Clinic researchers conducted a case-control study of 5,402 patients who had a sleep study record and were tested for COVID-19 in health system sites in Ohio and Florida from Mar 8 to Nov 30, 2020.
Average patient age was 56.4 years, 55.6% were women, 60.3% were White, 31.4% were Black, 15.2% were of other races, and 35.8% tested positive for COVID-19. The study backdrop was controversy over whether to continue positive-airway pressure (PAP) treatment for sleep-disordered breathing because of concern over virus aerosols.
While sleep-disordered breathing and sleep-related hypoxia (low oxygen levels) weren't linked with an increased risk of COVID-19 infection, sleep-related hypoxia was associated with a 31% higher risk of hospitalization and death, even after accounting for the presence of cardiopulmonary disease, cancer, and smoking exposure.
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