Assessment of Laryngopharyngeal Reflux and Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Population-Based Study.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: To evaluate the presence of laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) and the potential association between presence of LPR symptoms and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in a representative sample from a population-based study. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: Participants of the follow-up of the Epidemiological Sleep Study were evaluated. Sleep was assessed through questionnaires and polysomnography. The presence of LPR was based on the questionnaire Reflux Score Index (RSI), and scores higher than 13 were suggestive of LPR. A general linear model test was used for comparison of continuous data and Pearson's chi-square test was used to compare categorical variables. Predictors of LPR were obtained by regression analysis. RESULTS: 701 were enrolled (54.8% female, 45.2% male; mean age, 50.2 ± 13.3 years). The mean apnea-hypopnea index score was 17 ± 18.3 events/hr, and the mean RSI score was 7.0 ± 8.1. LPR was found in 17% of the volunteers, whereas OSA was present in 38.5% of the sample. Specifically, in those patients with OSA, the prevalence of LPR was 45.4%; however, there was no statistically significant association between LPR and the presence of OSA. The severity of OSA was not associated with RSI score. The presence of LPR was associated with older age, smoking, excessive daytime sleepiness and worse quality of life and sleep scores questionnaires. CONCLUSIONS: Age, smoking, but not body mass index, were associated with LPR. There was not statistically significant association of LPR with OSA. Individuals with symptoms of LPR had greater drowsiness and worse quality of life and sleep. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3 Laryngoscope, 132:1877-1882, 2022.

COVID-19 meta-analyses: a scoping review and quality assessment.

OBJECTIVE: To carry out a scoping review of the meta-analyses published regarding about coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), evaluating their main characteristics, publication trends and methodological quality. METHODS: A bibliometric search was performed in PubMed®, Scopus and Web of Science, focusing on meta-analyses about COVID-2019 disease. Bibliometric and descriptive data for the included articles were extracted and the methodological quality of the included meta-analyses was evaluated using A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews. RESULTS: A total of 348 meta-analyses were considered eligible. The first meta-analysis about COVID-19 disease was published on February 26, 2020, and the number of meta-analyses has grown rapidly since then. Most of them were published in infectious disease and virology journals. The greatest number come from China, followed by the United States, Italy and the United Kingdom. On average, these meta-analyses included 23 studies and 15,200 participants. Overall quality was remarkably low, and only 8.9% of them could be considered as of high confidence level. CONCLUSION: Although well-designed meta-analyses about COVID-19 disease have already been published, the majority are of low quality. Thus, all stakeholders playing a role in COVID-19 deseases, including policy makers, researchers, publishers and journals, should prioritize well-designed meta-analyses, performed only when the background information seem suitable, and discouraging those of low quality or that use suboptimal methods.

COVID-19 meta-analyses: a scoping review and quality assessment / Metanálises sobre COVID-19: revisão de escopo e análise de qualidade

ABSTRACT Objective: To carry out a scoping review of the meta-analyses published regarding about coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), evaluating their main characteristics, publication trends and methodological quality. Methods: A bibliometric search was performed in PubMed®, Scopus and Web of Science, focusing on meta-analyses about COVID-2019 disease. Bibliometric and descriptive data for the included articles were extracted and the methodological quality of the included meta-analyses was evaluated using A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews. Results: A total of 348 meta-analyses were considered eligible. The first meta-analysis about COVID-19 disease was published on February 26, 2020, and the number of meta-analyses has grown rapidly since then. Most of them were published in infectious disease and virology journals. The greatest number come from China, followed by the United States, Italy and the United Kingdom. On average, these meta-analyses included 23 studies and 15,200 participants. Overall quality was remarkably low, and only 8.9% of them could be considered as of high confidence level. Conclusion: Although well-designed meta-analyses about COVID-19 disease have already been published, the majority are of low quality. Thus, all stakeholders playing a role in COVID-19 deseases, including policy makers, researchers, publishers and journals, should prioritize well-designed meta-analyses, performed only when the background information seem suitable, and discouraging those of low quality or that use suboptimal methods.

RESUMO Objetivo: Realizar uma revisão de escopo das metanálises publicadas sobre a doença pelo coronavírus 2019 (COVID-19), avaliando suas principais características, tendências de publicação e qualidade metodológica. Métodos: Uma busca bibliométrica foi realizada em PubMed®, Scopus e Web of Science, com foco em metanálises sobre a doença pelo COVID-19. Foram extraídos dados bibliométricos e descritivos dos artigos incluídos, e a qualidade metodológica foi avaliada usando a ferramenta A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews. Resultados: Um total de 348 metanálises foram consideradas elegíveis. A primeira delas foi publicada em 26 de fevereiro de 2020, e, desde então, o número dessas publicações cresceu rapidamente. A maioria foi publicada em periódicos de infectologia e virologia. Grande parte é proveniente da China, seguida dos Estados Unidos, da Itália e do Reino Unido. Em média, as metanálises incluíram 23 estudos e 15.200 participantes. Em geral, a qualidade metodológica foi baixa, e apenas 8,9% delas podem ser consideradas de algum grau de confiabilidade Conclusão: Embora algumas metanálises bem conduzidas sobre a doença pelo COVID-19 tenham sido publicadas, a maioria apresenta baixa qualidade. Todos os envolvidos na abordagem da doença pelo COVID-19, incluindo formuladores de políticas, pesquisadores, editoras e periódicos, devem dar prioridade a metanálises de alta qualidade, realizadas apenas quando os dados são viáveis, e desencorajar as de baixa qualidade ou conduzidas com métodos subótimos.

The role of sleep in Juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients and their caregivers.

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis is a chronic disease that may lead to various consequences for patients and caregivers, especially in relation to sleep quality. Sleep is an essential process for homeostasis of the organism. In general, caregivers of children with JIA are more susceptible to these sleep disorders and a lower quality of life. This impairment in sleep can potentially affect the health of caregiver. For this reason, it is very important to continue to evaluate the quality of sleep in caregivers and how to support these JIA children's caregivers more effectively.

Sleep complaints in the Brazilian population: Impact of socioeconomic factors.

National surveys are relevant for the study of sleep epidemiology since they can provide specific data about sleep in large dimension with important implications for the health system. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of sleep complaints among the Brazilian population using a randomized cluster sample according to region and socioeconomic class. For this, a 3-stage sampling technique was used to randomly select Brazilian subjects of both genders older than 16 years. A total of 2017 subjects, from 132 different cities, were selected to estimate prevalence in the Brazilian population with a sampling error of ±2%. Questions about sleep complaints were administered face-to-face by Instituto Datafolha interviewers on April 10 and 16, 2012. Data were expanded using a weighted variable. The results showed that 76% of the study population suffers from at least 1 sleep complaint, indicating that approximately 108 million Brazilians may be affected by sleep disorders. On average, each subject had 1.9 sleep problems with the most common complaints being light and insufficient sleep, snoring, moving a lot during sleep, and insomnia, which usually occurred more than 3 times per week. Low income was associated with higher number of sleep complaints only in Northeast and Southeast regions. In conclusion, this study showed a high prevalence of sleep complaints in a sample of the Brazilian population, suggesting that sleep disorders may be markedly frequent in the Brazilian population with a possible correlation with the socioeconomic situation of the interviewed subjects.