Evaluation of the effects of obstructive sleep apnea, sleep quality and depression on COVID-19 clinic in patients with SARS-COV-2 infection

The World Health Organization reported cases of pneumonia of unknown etiology in Wuhan, China on December 31, 2019, and the infectious agent was identified as a new coronavirus that was not previously detected in humans. The infectious agent was named as SARS-CoV-2, and then the name of the disease was accepted as COVID-19. Various chronic conditions, especially cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, have been identified as risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the relationship between the presence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), decreased sleep quality and depression in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 clinic. 103 patients hospitalized in the Gaziantep University Medical Faculty Hospital COVID-19 ward between November 1, 2020 and January 31, 2021 were included in the study. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Berlin and STOP-BANG questionnaires, Beck Depression Inventyory (BDI) were applied to the patients. Sub-groups of the questionnaires were compared by performing statistical analyzes with data such as disease severity associated with COVID-19, severity of radiological involvement, saturation values of patients, duration of hospitalization, need of high-dose steroids and/or tocilizumab, intensive care needs, and laboratory parameters. Of 103 patients, 40 (38.8%) were female and 63 (61.2%) were male. As a result of the study, no significant relationship was found with any of the parameters related to depression and COVID-19 ( >0.05). It has been determined that patients with poor sleep quality have a longer hospital stay and more need for intensive care (p <0.05). High-risk patients with OSA had lower saturations, longer hospital stays, more intensive care needs, and more use of higher doses of steroids and/or tocilizumab (p<0.05). According to the findings, it was thought that OSA can be a risk factor for severe-critical COVID-19 disease. Although more than a year has passed since the onset of the pandemic, COVID-19 is still an important cause of mortality, especially for individuals with risk factors, due to the lack of effective treatment and prevention methods. Considering that knowing the risk factors for severe disease can facilitate the management of the disease, it is thought that the diagnosis and treatment of OSA should also be considered during the pandemic period. New researchs are needed to determine additional risk factors. Keywords: COVID-19, Risk factor, Obstructive sleep apnea