Elderly as a high‑risk group during COVID‑19 pandemic : effect of circadian misalignment, sleep dysregulation and melatonin administration

• Autores: Cardinali, Daniel Pedro; Brown, Gregory M.; Reiter, R.; Pandi Perumal, Seithikurippu R.
• Año de publicación: 2020
• Idioma: inglés
• Tipo de recurso: artículo
• Fuente: Sleep and Vigilance. 2020, 4
• Materia: CRONOBIOLOGIA; RITMO CIRCADIANO; COVID-19; PANDEMIA; ADULTOS MAYORES; AISLAMIENTO SOCIAL, PREVENTIVO Y OBLIGATORIO; MELATONINA; SUEÑO
• Institución: Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina

Fil: Cardinali, Daniel Pedro. Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas; Argentina
Fil: Brown, Gregory M. Universidad de Toronto. Centro de Adicciones y Enfermedades Mentales Salud. Departamento de Psiquiatría; Canadá
Fil: Reiter, R. Universidad de Texas. Departamento de Sistemas Celulares y Anatomía; Estados Unidos
Fil: Pandi Perumal, Seithikurippu R. Somnogen Canada Inc.; Canadá
Abstract: The association of age with a higher vulnerability to COVID-19 infection is a subject of major importance. Several factors, including higher stress due to social isolation, diminished melatonin levels with age, and higher exposure of individuals to light at the evening, which reduces melatonin levels and disrupts circadian rhythmicity are relevant for maintaining the circadian health in aged individuals. Properly administered, chronotherapy restores the optimal circadian pattern of the sleep–wake cycle in the elderly. It involves adequate sleep hygiene, timed light exposure, and the use of a chronobiotic medication like melatonin, which affects the output phase of circadian rhythms thus controlling the biological clock. Besides, the therapeutic potential of melatonin as an agent to counteract the consequences of COVID-19 infections has been advocated due to its wide-ranging effects as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and as an immunomodulatory agent, as well as to a possible antiviral action. This article discusses how chronotherapy may reverse the detrimental circadian condition of the elderly in the COVID-19 pandemic.