The risk of severe Covid-19 is higher in people with obstructive sleep apnea and other respiratory problems that cause decreased oxygen levels during sleep (hypoxia), according to a new US scientific study. These people are no longer at risk of becoming infected with the coronavirus, but if they do get sick because of it they are more likely to get serious symptoms.
Researchers from the Cleveland Clinic, published in the American Medical Journal “JAMA Network Open”, analyzed data on 5,402 adults with an average age of 56 years and such sleep problems. It was found that more than a third of them (36%) were positive for the coronavirus.
Although the risk of infection did not appear to increase with the severity of such problems, those with a worse “Apnea-Hypoxia” score – an indication of greater sleep deprivation – were 31% more likely to need treatment with Covid-19 or die because of it. It is not yet clear whether treatments that improve sleep apnea can also reduce the risk of serious Covid-19 infection.
About one in 15 adults is estimated to have milder or more severe sleep apnea, a disorder that leads, more often than normal, to cessation of breathing or to very shallow breathing during sleep. As a result, the smooth and adequate flow of oxygen in the body is disrupted and hypoxia is observed, a complication that – in general – has been associated with severe Covid-19. Common symptoms of sleep apnea are excessive snoring and changes in breathing patterns.
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