Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Jan 10, 2025 10 hours, 31 minutes ago
Medical News: The COVID-19 pandemic, which began in 2019, left behind numerous challenges for global health systems. Beyond the immediate impact of the virus, the lingering effects of long COVID have become a pressing concern, particularly for older adults. Researchers from institutions such as Peking University, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and several community health centers in Yunnan, China, recently conducted an in-depth study on how sleep quality affects long COVID symptoms in older adults. This
Medical News report delves into their findings and sheds light on an important aspect of post-pandemic recovery.
Sleep Quality and Long COVID in Older Adults
Understanding Long COVID and Sleep Quality
Long COVID refers to a range of symptoms that persist for weeks or months after the initial infection. For older adults, these symptoms often interfere with daily living, posing challenges to healthy aging. Poor sleep quality, which has been linked to various health conditions, may also worsen long COVID symptoms.
The researchers aimed to explore this relationship through an observational study involving 4,781 older COVID-19 patients from China.
The Study Design and Participant Profile
The study analyzed data from the Peking University Health Cohort in Yunnan. Participants, aged 60 and above, were interviewed between April and May 2023. Sleep quality was measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), while long COVID symptoms were self-reported and assessed by trained health professionals. This large-scale study focused on symptoms like fatigue, respiratory distress, cardiovascular issues, gastrointestinal problems, and neurological or psychiatric conditions.
Key Findings
The study revealed that 57.4% of the participants experienced long COVID. Among them:
-General symptoms such as fatigue and myalgia were most common, affecting 47.7%.
-Respiratory symptoms were reported by 35.2%.
-Neurological and psychiatric symptoms affected 5.8%.
-Gastrointestinal issues were noted by 8.7%.
-Cardiovascular symptoms, though less common, affected 3.4%.
Interestingly, poor sleep quality played a significant role in worsening these symptoms. For every one-point increase in the PSQI score, the risk of long COVID rose by 3%, while neurological and psychiatric symptoms showed a 20% increase.
Poor sleep quality also doubled the risk of gastrointestinal symptoms and increased cardiovascular symptoms by 50%.
Insights From the Analysis
This study highlights that poor sleep quality among older COVID-19 patients was prevalent, affecting 39.4% of the participants. Factors like age, gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status influenced sleep quality. Older women, minorities, and those living alone or with lower incomes were more likely to experience
sleep disturbances. The study also noted that pre-existing conditions like depression further exacerbated sleep problems.
Implications for Health Care
The findings emphasize the importance of addressing sleep quality in managing long COVID. Poor sleep can trigger inflammatory responses, potentially worsening neurological or cardiovascular symptoms. Furthermore, social isolation and pandemic-related stress have compounded sleep issues, particularly in older populations.
Conclusions
This study underscores the interconnectedness of sleep health and long COVID symptoms. By addressing sleep quality, health professionals can potentially alleviate some of the long-term effects of COVID-19 in older adults. As researchers pointed out, comprehensive assessments and multidisciplinary approaches are crucial in ensuring healthy aging post-pandemic.
The study findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal: BMC Geriatrics.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12877-025-05675-5
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Medical News.
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