LAUSR

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.