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Objectives: Communities of color might disproportionately experience long-term consequences of COVID-19, known as Long COVID. We sought to understand the awareness of and experiences with Long COVID among African American/Black (AA/B), Hispanic/Latino (H/L), and Indigenous (Native) adults (18 + years of age) in Arizona who previously tested positive for COVID-19. Methods: Between December 2022 and April 2023, the Arizona Community Engagement Alliance (AZCEAL) conducted 12 focus groups and surveys with 65 AA/B, H/L and Native community members. Data from focus groups were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify emerging issues. Survey data provided demographic information about participants and quantitative assessments of Long COVID experiences were used to augment focus group data. Results: Study participants across all three racial/ethnic groups had limited to no awareness of the term Long COVID, yet many described experiencing or witnessing friends and family endure physical symptoms consistent with Long COVID (e.g., brain fog, loss of memory, fatigue) as well as associated mental health issues (e.g., anxiety, worry, post-traumatic stress disorder). Participants identified a need for Long COVID mental health and other health resources, as well as increased access to Long COVID information. Conclusion: To prevent Long COVID health inequities among AA/B, H/L, and Native adults living in AZ, health-related organizations and providers should increase access to culturally relevant, community-based Long COVID–specific information, mental health services, and other health resources aimed at serving these populations.

In children and younger adults up to 39 years of age, SARS-CoV-2 usually elicits mild symptoms that resemble the common cold. Disease severity increases with age starting at 30 and reaches astounding mortality rates that are ~330 fold higher in persons above 85 years of age compared to those 18–39 years old. To understand age-specific immune pathobiology of COVID-19, we have analyzed soluble mediators, cellular phenotypes, and transcriptome from over 80 COVID-19 patients of varying ages and disease severity, carefully controlling for age as a variable. We found that reticulocyte numbers and peripheral blood transcriptional signatures robustly correlated with disease severity. By contrast, decreased numbers and proportion of naïve T-cells, reported previously as a COVID-19 severity risk factor, were found to be general features of aging and not of COVID-19 severity, as they readily occurred in older participants experiencing only mild or no disease at all. Single-cell transcriptional signatures across age and severity groups showed that severe but not moderate/mild COVID-19 causes cell stress response in different T-cell populations, and some of that stress was unique to old severe participants, suggesting that in severe disease of older adults, these defenders of the organism may be disabled from performing immune protection. These findings shed new light on interactions between age and disease severity in COVID-19.

Disparities in sleep health are important but underrecognized contributors to health disparities. Understanding the factors contributing to sleep heath disparities and developing effective interventions are critical to improving all aspects of heath. Sleep heath disparities are impacted by socioeconomic status, racism, discrimination, neighborhood segregation, geography, social patterns, and access to health care as well as by cultural beliefs, necessitating a cultural appropriateness component in any intervention devised for reducing sleep health disparities. Pediatric sleep disparities require innovative and urgent intervention to establish a foundation of lifelong healthy sleep. Tapping the vast potential of technology in improving sleep health access may be an underutilized tool to reduce sleep heath disparities. Identifying, implementing, replicating, and disseminating successful interventions to address sleep disparities have the potential to reduce overall disparities in health and quality of life.

Lack of control over sleep may contribute to population-level sleep disturbances, yet relatively little work has explored the degree to which an individual’s sense of control over their sleep may represent an important factor.

Children with congenital heart disease (CHD) have an increased risk of neurocognitive impairment. No prior studies have evaluated the role of OSA, which is associated with neurocognitive impairment in children without CHD.

AbstractBackgroundObstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a highly prevalent sleep disorder that is often associated with numerous medical and psychiatric comorbidities. Patients with OSA experience a variety of symptoms that can be burdensome and affect their quality of life and satisfaction with care. Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) is a common symptom of OSA, and can persist despite primary airway therapy (e.g., positive airway pressure [PAP]). This analysis aimed to characterize common comorbidities, as well as symptoms present at OSA diagnosis and their burden in a real-world population of participants with OSA.MethodsUS residents (≥18 years of age, self-reported clinician diagnosis of OSA [from 1/1/2015 to 3/31/2020]) completed a survey in Evidation Health’s Achievement app that assessed self-reported sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale [ESS]), self-reported PAP usage, self-reported physician-diagnosed comorbidities, and information on their symptoms at time of OSA diagnosis. Self-reported PAP use was categorized as nonuse (no PAP use), nonadherent (<4 h/night or <5 d/wk), intermediate (4–6 h/night, ≥5 d/wk), or highly adherent (≥6 h/night, ≥5 d/wk). EDS was defined as ESS score >10. All data were summarized descriptively.ResultsIn total, 2289 participants completed the survey (50.3% female; 82.5% White; mean ± standard deviation [SD] age, 44.8 ± 11.1 years; mean ± SD age at OSA diagnosis, 40.7 ± 11.4 years; mean ± SD body mass index, 35.4 ± 8.7 kg/m2); 42.5% had EDS. Among the total population, 30.6% were PAP non-users, 6.7% were nonadherent, 9.8% were intermediate adherent, and 52.9% were highly adherent. Across the study population, the most common self-reported physician-diagnosed comorbidities were anxiety (44%) and depression (42%) followed by hypertension (39%), dyslipidemia (26%), and asthma (21%). Among the symptoms participants reported having had at the time of OSA diagnosis, the most common were EDS (79%), fatigue (79%), snoring (75%), and awakening with a dry mouth or sore throat (63%). Concentration/Memory problems (48%) and mood changes (46%) were also common. In the overall population, the symptoms present at the time of OSA diagnosis that were most likely to be highly burdensome were fatigue (53%), EDS (46%), snoring (35%), difficulty concentrating/memory issues (31%), and mood changes (25%).ConclusionsThese real-world survey data identify anxiety and depression as the most frequently reported comorbidities in a population of participants with OSA, each affecting over 40% of participants. In addition to classic OSA symptoms (e.g., EDS, fatigue, snoring, and awakening with dry mouth/sore throat), concentration/memory problems and mood changes were also common at the time of OSA diagnosis and were among the presenting symptoms most frequently reported as highly burdensome, along with fatigue, EDS, and snoring.FundingAxsome Therapeutics and Jazz Pharmaceuticals

The purpose of this review was to summarize what is currently known regarding two important questions facing the field of sleep medicine today: (1) How many hours of CPAP use per night are necessary to improve daytime symptoms and reduce cardiovascular risk associated with OSA?; and (2) What strategies could be implemented to optimize adherence in clinical settings? Despite the widespread adoption of a threshold approach to CPAP management, the literature to date suggests a dose-response relationship between CPAP usage and a range of outcomes, including sleepiness, functional status, and BP; the data also suggest that the optimal adherence level differs depending on the outcome in question. Over the years, psychological measures of behavior change constructs have been increasingly recognized as the most consistent predictors of CPAP adherence, and, as such, the most successful interventions for optimizing adherence have been behavioral in nature. Unfortunately, behavioral therapies have not been translated from highly controlled research settings to comparative-effectiveness studies and finally into routine care, mainly due to feasibility and cost issues. More recently, theory-driven telemedicine adherence interventions have emerged, which take advantage of the framework that already exists in the United States and elsewhere for real-time remote-monitoring of CPAP. Combining theory-driven behavioral approaches with telemedicine technology could hold the answer to increasing real-world CPAP adherence rates, although randomized studies are still required, and socioeconomic barriers to telemedicine will need to be addressed to promote health equity.

Growing concern for falls in acute care settings could be addressed with objective evaluation of fall risk. The current proof-of-concept study evaluated the feasibility of using a chest-worn sensor during hospitalization to determine fall risk. Physical activity and heart rate variability (HRV) of 31 volunteers admitted to a 29-bed adult inpatient unit were recorded using a single chest-worn sensor. Sensor data during the first 24-hour recording were analyzed. Participants were stratified using the Hendrich II fall risk assessment into high and low fall risk groups. Univariate analysis revealed age, daytime activity, nighttime side lying posture, and HRV were significantly different between groups. Results suggest feasibility of wearable technology to consciously monitor physical activity, sleep postures, and HRV as potential markers of fall risk in the acute care setting. Further study is warranted to confirm the results and examine the efficacy of the proposed wearable technology to manage falls in hospitals. [Growing concern for falls in acute care settings could be addressed with objective evaluation of fall risk. The current proof-of-concept study evaluated the feasibility of using a chest-worn sensor during hospitalization to determine fall risk. Physical activity and heart rate variability (HRV) of 31 volunteers admitted to a 29-bed adult inpatient unit were recorded using a single chest-worn sensor. Sensor data during the first 24-hour recording were analyzed. Participants were stratified using the Hendrich II fall risk assessment into high and low fall risk groups. Univariate analysis revealed age, daytime activity, nighttime side lying posture, and HRV were significantly different between groups. Results suggest feasibility of wearable technology to consciously monitor physical activity, sleep postures, and HRV as potential markers of fall risk in the acute care setting. Further study is warranted to confirm the results and examine the efficacy of the proposed wearable technology to manage falls in hospitals. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 43(7), 53–62.]

AbstractBackgroundObstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep disorder that is highly comorbid with psychiatric disorders, including depression and anxiety. Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) is common in psychiatric disorders and OSA. In participants with OSA, EDS can persist despite use of positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy. This analysis of real-world data aimed to describe EDS and its relationship with PAP use in participants with and without depression.MethodsUS residents (≥18 years of age, self-reported physician diagnosis of OSA [from 1/1/2015 to 3/31/2020]) completed a survey in Evidation Health’s Achievement app assessing subjective levels of sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale [ESS]) and self-reported PAP usage, categorized as nonuse (no PAP use), nonadherent (<4 h/night or <5 d/wk), intermediate (4-6 h/night, ≥5 d/wk), or highly adherent (≥6 h/night, ≥5 d/wk). ESS score >10 defined EDS. A linear model assessed relationships between PAP use and ESS score. P-values are uncontrolled for multiplicity (nominal).ResultsIn total, 2289 participants (EDS, n=972; no EDS, n=1317) completed the survey (50.3% female; 82.5% White; mean±standard deviation [SD] age, 44.8 ± 11.1 years). Anxiety and depression were the most common comorbidities and were more common in participants with EDS (49% and 49%, respectively) than those without EDS (41% and 37%, respectively). Overall, EDS was more common among participants with comorbid depression (49%) than those without (38%), even among highly adherent PAP users (46% vs 30%, respectively). In a linear model (PAP users only), an additional 1 h/night of PAP use was associated with lower ESS scores in the subgroup of participants without depression (n=928; estimate [SE], −0.42 [0.09]; P<0.05), but not in the subgroup with depression (n=661; estimate [SE], −0.15 [0.10]; P>0.05). In a sensitivity analysis that excluded participants using medications that cause sleepiness, PAP use was associated with lower ESS scores regardless of depression status; however, EDS remained more common in participants with comorbid depression (46%) than in those without (36%).ConclusionsIn this real-world population of participants with OSA, those with EDS were more likely to have comorbid anxiety or depression. EDS was more common in participants with comorbid depression than those without, even with highly adherent PAP use. PAP use was associated with lower ESS scores in participants without comorbid depression, but not in those with comorbid depression; the use of medications that cause sleepiness may contribute to but does not fully explain this phenomenon.FundingAxsome Therapeutics and Jazz Pharmaceuticals

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text.The purpose of the Society of Anesthesia and Sleep Medicine guideline on preoperative screening and assessment of adult patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is to present recommendations based on the available clinical evidence on the topic where possible. As very few well-performed randomized studies in this field of perioperative care are available, most of the recommendations were developed by experts in the field through consensus processes involving utilization of evidence grading to indicate the level of evidence upon which recommendations were based. This guideline may not be appropriate for all clinical situations and all patients. The decision whether to follow these recommendations must be made by a responsible physician on an individual basis. Protocols should be developed by individual institutions taking into account the patients’ conditions, extent of interventions and available resources. This practice guideline is not intended to define standards of care or represent absolute requirements for patient care. The adherence to these guidelines cannot in any way guarantee successful outcomes and is rather meant to help individuals and institutions formulate plans to better deal with the challenges posed by perioperative patients with OSA. These recommendations reflect the current state of knowledge and its interpretation by a group of experts in the field at the time of publication. While these guidelines will be periodically updated, new information that becomes available between updates should be taken into account. Deviations in practice from guidelines may be justifiable and such deviations should not be interpreted as a basis for claims of negligence.

The ventrolateral preoptic area (VLPO) and the orexin/hypocretin neuronal system are key regulators of sleep onset, transitions between vigilance states, and energy homeostasis. Reciprocal projections exist between the VLPO and orexin/hypocretin neurons. Although the importance of the VLPO to sleep regulation is clear, it is unknown whether VLPO neurons are involved in energy balance. The purpose of these studies was to determine if the VLPO is a site of action for orexin-A, and which orexin receptor subtype(s) would mediate these effects of orexin-A. We hypothesized that orexin-A in the VLPO modulates behaviors (sleep and wakefulness, feeding, spontaneous physical activity [SPA]) to increase energy expenditure.

Regional brain alterations may be involved in the pathogenesis and adverse consequences of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The objectives for the current study were to (1) determine cerebrovascular reactivity in the motor areas that control upper airway musculature in patients with OSA, and (2) determine whether young patients with OSA have decreased cerebrovascular reactivity in response to breath holding.

Positive airway pressure therapy for hypoventilation syndromes can improve health-related quality of life. Sleep-disordered breathing is complex and requires sophisticated devices to detect and treat respiratory events and reduce the work of breathing while maintaining breathing comfort. Although such devices are increasingly used in clinical practice, supporting clinical evidence—specifically comparative-effectiveness studies in real-life conditions—needs to be gathered. There is opportunity to refine these devices, including the ability of the device to monitor gas exchange and sleep-wakefulness state, and for reducing variability in device efficacy owing to provider-selected device settings.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality and may frequently be associated with sleep disturbances. However, the correlates of insomnia in COPD patients have not been well characterized. The aim of the current study was to describe the prevalence of insomnia disorder in COPD and to elucidate the demographic and clinical characteristics of COPD patients that are associated with insomnia.

This study was conducted to evaluate the therapeutic performance of a new auto Servo Ventilation device (Philips Respironics autoSV Advanced) for the treatment of complex central sleep apnea (CompSA). The features of autoSV Advanced include an automatic expiratory pressure (EPAP) adjustment, an advanced algorithm for distinguishing open versus obstructed airway apnea, a modified auto backup rate which is proportional to subject's baseline breathing rate, and a variable inspiratory support. Our primary aim was to compare the performance of the advanced servo-ventilator (BiPAP autoSV Advanced) with conventional servo-ventilator (BiPAP autoSV) in treating central sleep apnea (CSA).

To determine the impact of lower amounts of childhood sleep assessed by polysomnogram on development of obesity, being anxious or depressed, or having learning problems 5 years later.

To our knowledge, a systematic study of the effect of air leak on adherence to auto-titrating positive airway pressure (autoPAP) therapy has not been reported. We hypothesized that in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), greater levels of air leak were associated with poor adherence to autoPAP therapy.

Positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy is commonly prescribed treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in both adults and children. However, the effectiveness of PAP therapy is undermined by poor adherence. The purpose of this review is to improve our understanding of the causes and consequences of nonadherence to PAP therapy and highlight interventions that promote adherence.

In critically ill patients, sleep derangements are reported to be severe using Rechtschaffen and Kales (R&K) methodology; however, whether such methodology can reliably assess sleep during critical illness is unknown. We set out to determine the reproducibility of 4 different sleep-assessment methods (3 manual and 1 computer-based) for ventilator-supported critically ill patients and also to quantify the extent to which the reproducibility of the manual methods for measuring sleep differed between critically ill and ambulatory (control) patients.

To explore the relationship between specific factors such as sex and early continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) use, and 30-day adherence to CPAP therapy.