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

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Sleep Medicine
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common condition linked to inflammation and pain.
• Sleep disorders, including sleep disturbance and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), are also associated with inflammation and pain.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between joint replacement surgery and the subsequent risk of sleep disorders in individuals with OA.
• To analyze the incidence of sleep disturbance and OSA in OA patients who underwent surgery versus those who did not.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study utilizing the TriNetX database.
• Inclusion of 135,607 individuals diagnosed with OA, divided into surgery and non-surgery groups.
• Comparison of incidence rates for sleep disturbance and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) between the two groups.

Main Results:

• The joint replacement surgery group showed significantly lower incidence rates of both sleep disturbance (19,146 episodes) and OSA (8,715 cases) compared to the non-surgery group (25,030 and 11,472 episodes, respectively).
• Cumulative incidence analyses confirmed significantly reduced rates of sleep disturbance and OSA in the surgery group (P < 0.001 for both).

Conclusions:

• Joint replacement surgery in patients with osteoarthritis is associated with a decreased risk of subsequent sleep disorders.
• The findings suggest a potential positive impact of joint replacement surgery on sleep quality and respiratory health in OA patients.