A systematic review of COVID-19 and obstructive sleep apnoea

The aims of the study were to review the rapidly emerging COVID-19 literature to determine 1) the relationship between obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and adverse COVID-19 outcomes and, 2) potential causal mechanisms 3) what effect COVID-19 has had on OSA diagnosis and 4) what effect COVID-19 has had on treatment and management of OSA during this period. PubMed was systematically searched up to 020620. Studies were included if they had examined the relationship between COVID-19 and OSA. Studies were included that were in English and had the full text available. The findings from this study suggest that many of the risk factors and co-morbidities associated for OSA which include obesity, hypertension and diabetes mellitus are associated with poor COVID-19 outcomes. There are plausible mechanisms by which OSA may independently increase one's risk of morbidity and mortality associated with COVID-19 and data from the newly published CORONADO study suggests that OSA treated patients may be at increased risk of death from COVID-19. It is clear that the pandemic has had a major effect on the treatment management and diagnosis of OSA and moving forward it may be necessary to explore new diagnosis and treatment pathways for these individuals. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study reviewed the relationship between OSA and COVID-19 outcomes, finding that risk factors associated with OSA are also linked to poor COVID-19 outcomes. Plausible mechanisms suggest OSA may independently increase the risk of death from COVID-19. The study also highlights the major impact of COVID-19 on the diagnosis and treatment of OSA.