*Researchers say study findings can help lead to potential treatments for patients struggling with sleeping disorders and a COVID-19 infection

Isola Moses | 绿帽献妻

Researchers in recent studies discovered that factors like exposure to air pollution or consumers鈥� diets may impact the severity of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) infection. Scientists from the Cleveland Clinic have now found that more severe forms of the virus may cause sleeping disorders in consumers.

The study findings indicated that sleep disorders may increase the risk of developing more serious cases of COVID-19, agency report stated.

Dr. Reena Mehra, one of the researchers, said: 鈥淎s the COVID-19 pandemic continues and the disease remains highly variable from patient to patient, it is critical to improve our ability to predict who will have more severe illness so that we can appropriately allocate resources.

鈥淭his study improved our understanding of the association between sleep disorders and the risk for adverse COVID-19 outcomes.

鈥淚t suggests biomarkers of inflammation may mediate this relationship.鈥�

Health risks associated with sleep disorders for the study, the researchers analysed data from 5,400 patients at the Cleveland Clinic who had been tested for COVID-19 and also completed sleep studies.

The team tracked the patients鈥� health outcomes over time and paid close attention to the severity of their COVID-19 infections and any sleep disturbances.

Eventually, the researchers learned that participants with sleep disorders weren鈥檛 more prone to COVID-19 infection.

However, even after accounting for risk factors like obesity and smoking, sleep disorders were linked with more severe infections once the patients tested positive for the virus.

For participants with any kind of sleep apnea or sleep hypoxia, which is when blood oxygen drops significantly during sleep, there was a higher risk of severe COVID-19 infection.

These patients were 31% more likely to be hospitalised and had a 31% higher risk of mortality after testing positive for COVID.

Going forward, the researchers hope these findings can help lead to potential treatments for patients struggling with sleeping disorders and a COVID-19 infection.

Researcher Dr. Cinthya Pena Orbea also stated: 鈥淥ur findings have significant implications as decreased hospitalisations and mortality could reduce the strain on health care systems.

鈥淚f indeed sleep-related hypoxia translates to worse COVID-19 outcomes, risk stratification strategies should be implemented to prioritise early allocation of COVID-19 therapy to this subgroup of patients.鈥�

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