Sleep apnea may be risk factor for COVID-19

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-11/uot-sam111320.php

News Release 13-Nov-2020
University of Turku

 

The question of sleep apnea as the risk factor for COVID-19 arose in a study conducted by the Turku University Hospital and the University of Turku on patients of the first wave of the pandemic. This is the first COVID-19-related study where sleep apnea as suspected risk factor emerges as the main finding.

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The comparison of the register information revealed that 29 percent of the patients admitted to hospital care had already been diagnosed with sleep apnea. The number is significant, as only 3.1 percent of the population of Southwest Finland is getting treatment for sleep apnea. Even though the total number of patients in the study was low, the share of sleep apnea patients was high. The extent of sleep apnea among the patients cannot only be explained by the obesity often met in sleep apnea patients, being one of the already known risk factors for severe COVID-19.

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Sleep apnea causes breaks in breathing (apnea) while a person is asleep. The disease is diagnosed by a nocturnal polysomnography.

The connection between sleep apnea and COVID-19 has been confirmed by other studies which are now under review but are already available as pre-publications. The findings of this new study were comparable with other reported findings. Other findings included higher levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) in those patients that were eventually admitted to intensive care. Most viral diseases do not elevate the CRP levels that much.