Title: Persistence of Sleep Disturbance among Post-Covid Patients: Findings from a two-month follow-up study in a Bangladeshi cohort

Islam, Khairul; Molla, Maruf Ahmed; Hasan, Pratyay; Sharif, Mohiuddin; Hossain, Fahima Sharmin; Amin, Robed; Rahman, Ridwanur

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the persistence and factors associated with sleep disturbances among COVID-19 patients with a history of sleep disturbances two months after discharge from the hospital METHODOLOGY: A total of 400 patients admitted at Dhaka Medical College Hospital during July and August were diagnosed as suffering from sleep disturbances during their hospital stay using a standardized scale. They were followed up two months later through telephone, and a total of 322 participants were interviewed (excluding 63 non-responders and five deceased) regarding the persistence of disturbances in sleep through a structured questionnaire. Patient demographic, clinical, and epidemiological data including history regarding in-hospital sleep disturbance were retrieved from hospital treatment sheets. RESULTS: Results revealed, 35% of study participants (n=113) were still experiencing symptoms of sleep disturbances during the interview by telephone. Age (p=0.015), diabetes mellitus (RR: 1.21; CI: 1.02-1.42, p=0.022), on admission SPO2 (p=0.009), CRP (p=0.025), serum ferritin (p=0.014), and d-dimer (p=0.030) were independently associated with sleep disturbances among participants (p<0.05). Binary and fitting logistic regression through repeated K folds cross validation revealed 1.65 (CI: 1.02-2.66), 1.07 (CI: 1.01-1.14), and 1.07 (CI: 1.00-1.15) times higher odds of persistence of sleep disturbances among patients with diabetes mellitus, increased neutrophil, and lymphocyte percentages, respectively. DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS: Findings of this study need to be validated and patients should be further followed up with more in-depth studies conducted six or 12 months after initial infection, possibly with the help of a higher sample size and in-person interview. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.