Scientists have found that those with obstructive sleep apnea and other breathing disorders that cause oxygen levels to drop during sleep are at a higher risk of severe sickness from COVID-19.
Scientists have monitored 5,402 adults who had these issues and discovered that around a third of them tested positive for the coronavirus.
While the risk of infection did not rise with the severity of their issues, those with higher scores on the "apnea-hypopnia index" had a greater likelihood of being hospitalized or dying from COVID-19, Drs. Cinthya Pena Orbea and Reena Mehra of the Cleveland Clinic and colleagues disclosed Wednesday in JAMA Network Open.
Orbea and Mehra said it is unclear whether therapies for sleep apnea, such as CPAP machines that force air into patients' airways while they sleep, would also lessen the risk of severe infection from the virus.
A paper published Wednesday in Nature shows healthcare workers who did not test positive for COVID-19 despite heavy exposure to infected patients had T cells that attacked a component of the virus that allows it to replicate itself.
Scientists have discovered that the T cells of the 58 healthcare professionals responded more strongly to a portion of the virus called the RTC, which is found on all human and animal coronaviruses, including all COVID-19 varieties.
They believe the T cells recognized the RTC because it has already been "seen" on other viruses during previous infections.
If future research supports these findings, study leaders Mala Maini and Leo Swadling, both of University College London, said in a joint email to Reuters that the RTC could be a promising target for vaccinations.
These data were gathered during the pandemic's initial wave, they added. "We don't know if more infectious variations now circulating are subject to this type of regulation."
Based on findings by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one in every 15 adults in the United States has sleep apnea.
Loud snoring and abnormalities in breathing patterns are the most prevalent and well-known symptoms of sleep apnea.
The CDC said the condition can lead to hypoxia, a condition in which the body or a portion of the body is deprived of adequate oxygen supply.
The researchers said a little more than 5,400 of individuals who were examined for COVID-19 had previously been evaluated for the sleep condition.
Around 1,935, or 35%, of those who had previously been tested for sleep apnea tested positive for COVID-19.
