Table 1.
Demographic characteristics
| variables | Total (n = 97) | High risk of OSA (n = 79, 81.4%) | no OSA (n = 18, 18.6%) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| age (at admission) | 69.4 (± 10.1) | 70.3 (± 9.7) | 65.3 (± 11.3) | 0.0962 |
| male | 79 (81.4%) | 68 (86.1%) | 11 (61.1%) | 0.0381 |
| education degreea | 0.7741 | |||
| 1 | 14 (17.9%) | 11 (16.9%) | 3 (23.1%) | |
| 2 | 36 (46.2%) | 31 (47.7%) | 5 (38.5%) | |
| 3 | 28 (35.9%) | 23 (35.4%) | 5 (38.5%) | |
| ≥ 1 vascular risk factors | 74 (76.3%) | 63 (79.7%) | 11 (61.1%) | 0.1241 |
| Body Mass Index (BMI) | 27.97 (± 5.57) | 28.99 (± 5.62) | 23.5 (± 2.22) | < 0.0012 |
| smoking | 16 (16.8%) | 14 (17.9%) | 2 (11.8%) | 0.7281 |
| blood pressure hypertension | 63 (64.9%) | 53 (67.1%) | 10 (55.6%) | 0.4161 |
| diabete | 36 (37.1%) | 31 (39.2%) | 5 (27.8%) | 0.4271 |
| dyslipidemia | 34 (35.1%) | 29 (36.7%) | 5 (27.8%) | 0.5891 |
| Definite OSAb | 27 (27.8%) | 27 (34.2%) | 0 | 0.0031 |
| apnea hypopnea index (/h)b | 53.68 (± 24.92) | 53.68 (± 24.92) | - | - |
| night breath device for OSAb | 13 (13.4%) | 13 (16.5%) | 0 | - |
| modified NOSAS scoreb | 11.12 (± 3.62) | 12.49 (± 2.28) | 5.11 (± 1.81) | < 0.0012 |
| preexisting cognitive disorderc | 17 (17.7%) | 14 (17.9%) | 3 (16.7%) | 0.9991 |
| preexisting heart diseasec | 18 (18.6%) | 16 (30.2%) | 2 (18.2%) | 0.7141 |
| preexisting respiratory diseasec | 9 (9.3%) | 8 (15.1%) | 1 (9.1%) | 0.9991 |
| toxic usec | 10 (10.3%) | 9 (11.4%) | 1 (5.6%) | 0.6831 |
Abbreviation: OSA Obstructive sleep apnea
1Fisher’s exact test. Table results were given in number of patients (percentage of total number of patients per group)
2t-test. Table results were given in median (± interquartile ratio)
aEducation degree was defined as followed: 1 = primary education, 2 = lower secondary education, 3 = upper secondary education
bDefinite OSA was assessed by polysomnography (gold standard) [12, 15]. The Apnea Hypopnea Index was used to indicate the severity of definite OSA. The Apnea Hypopnea Index is the number of apneas or hypopneas recorded per hour of sleep (number of events per hour). Based on the Apnea Hypopnea Index, the severity of OSA is classified as follows: None/Minimal: < 5 per hour; Mild: ≥ 5, but < 15 per hour; Moderate: ≥ 15, but < 30 per hour; Severe: ≥ 30 per hour [12, 15]. Among patients with definite OSA, some of them usually used night devises such as continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or oral appliances like the mandibular advancement device [12]. The NOSAS score classified patients at high risk for significant OSA with the following items: neck circumference, obesity, snoring, age and sex (NOSAS) [18]. Snoring information was recorded for only 19 patients (missing data: 78), so we used a modified NOSAS score that did not include snoring information
cPreexisting cognitive disorder was defined as any cognitive disorder impairment by a neurologist before the beginning of COVID-19 acute encephalopathy. Preexisting heart and respiratory disease were defined as any heart or respiratory disease diagnosed by a cardiologist, a pulmonologist or a general practitioner prior to the onset of COVID-19 acute encephalopathy. Toxic use was reported by the physician in charge at the time of hospital admission (anamnesis/heteroanamnesis)