A study by the National Institutes of Health’s RECOVER Initiative and NYU Langone Health reveals that sleep apnea significantly increases the risk of long COVID in adults. Analyzing data from over 2 million patients, researchers found a 12-75% increased incidence of long-term symptoms among adults with sleep apnea compared to those without, even after considering other risk factors such as obesity and diabetes. Notably, this risk was not present in children when controlling for similar factors. As of April 2023, over 100 million Americans had contracted COVID-19, and about 6% reported long COVID symptoms like fatigue and cognitive issues. Sleep apnea, affecting roughly 1 in 8 adults, previously correlated with more severe COVID-19 illness, but remains often underdiagnosed. The study, published on May 11 in the journal Sleep, indicates the need for healthcare providers to closely monitor patients with sleep apnea and COVID-19. Additionally, the risk of developing long COVID was found to be higher in women with sleep apnea compared to men, suggesting gender differences in severity and diagnosis. Ongoing research under RECOVER aims to better understand long COVID and improve clinical care.
