People suffering with certain sleeping disorders are up to a third more likely to die from Covid, according to new research.
The study found that patients with sleep-disordered breathing and sleep-related hypoxia are 31 per cent more at risk of hospitalisation of even death if they catch Covid-19.
Analysing data from 5,400 patients, the research showed that while those with sleeping disorders do not have an increased risk of developing the respiratory disease, they do have a worse clinical prognosis if infected.
The American research team - lead by Dr Reena Mehra - was conducted by the Sleep Disorder Research team, Cleveland Clinic.
Dr Mehra said: "As 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.
"This study improved our understanding of the association between sleep disorders and the risk for adverse Covid-19 outcomes. It suggests biomarkers of inflammation may mediate this relationship."
The team used Cleveland Clinic's Covid-19 research registry, which includes data from more than 350,000 patients tested for the virus, 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 factors including obesity, heart and lung disease, cancer and smoking.
The researchers said that their findings, published in JAMA Network Open, set the stage for additional studies to identify whether early effective treatments such as positive airway pressure (PAP) or oxygen administration can improve Covid-19 outcomes.
Study first author Dr Cinthya Pena Orbea, of Cleveland Clinic's Sleep Disorders Centre, said: "Our findings have significant implications as decreased hospitalisations and mortality could reduce the strain on healthcare systems."
She added: "If 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."
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