Reduced Risk of Sleep Disturbance and Obstructive Sleep Apnea Following Joint Replacement in Osteoarthritis Patients

TL;DR

Joint replacement surgery in osteoarthritis patients is linked to a lower risk of sleep problems and sleep apnea.

Contribution

This study shows that joint replacement reduces the risk of sleep disorders in osteoarthritis patients.

Findings

Surgery group had 19,146 sleep disturbance cases vs. 25,030 in non-surgery group.

Surgery group had 8,715 OSA cases vs. 11,472 in non-surgery group.

Both outcomes showed significantly lower incidence in the surgery group (P < 0.001).

Abstract

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent condition characterized by inflammatory responses, and joint replacement surgery has been widely utilized for its management over the past several decades. Sleep disorders such as sleep disturbance and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are also associated with inflammation and pain. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the association between joint replacement surgery and the subsequent risk of sleep disorders in individuals with OA. A retrospective cohort study was conducted using data from the TriNetX database. Individuals diagnosed with OA were categorized into two groups based on whether they underwent joint replacement surgery. A total of 135,607 individuals were included in both the surgery and non-surgery groups. The primary outcomes of interest were the incidence of sleep disturbance and OSA. A total of 19,146 episodes of sleep disturbance were observed in the surgery group, compared to 25,030 in the non-surgery group. Similarly, 8,715 cases of OSA occurred in the surgery group, whereas 11,472 were reported in the non-surgery group. Both sleep disturbance and OSA exhibited significantly lower incidence rates in the surgery group than in the non-surgery group (P < 0.001 for both). Consistently, cumulative incidence analyses also revealed significantly reduced rates of sleep disturbance and OSA in the surgery group (P < 0.001 for both). In conclusion, joint replacement surgery in patients with OA was associated with a decreased risk of subsequent sleep disorders, including both sleep disturbance and OSA.

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