Evaluation of insomnia severity and sleep quality in patients with COVİD-19 pneumonia

Insomnia is generally defined on the basis of difficulty to initiate sleep; inadequacy of sleep duration, integrity, and/or quality despite the presence of sufficient time or opportunity; and adverse effects experienced during day hours. The objective of the current study was to assess the severity of insomnia and sleep quality in patients diagnosed with COVID-19 pneumonia. A total of 250 patients attending to Chest Diseases Outpatient Unit of Bursa Uludağ University or admitted to pandemic clinics and pandemic intensive care units between March 2020 and October 2021 due to a diagnosis of COVID-19 pneumonia were retrospectively evaluated. During the study, the symptoms of the patients in terms of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS) were questioned.Patients with a diagnosis of OSAS and sleep-related respiratory disorders in general were excluded from the study.Demographic characteristics, cigarette use, comorbid conditions, duration of sleep, treatment(s) administered, and duration of stay at in-hospital care in pandemic clinics or intensive care units were recorded. The sleep quality was assessed using Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). The mean total PSQI score was 6 (range: 0-18). Poor sleep quality was determined in 164 of the patients (65.5%) based on a PSQI score of ≥ 5. Also, patients with a longer duration of admission had significantly poorer sleep quality.Also, presence of comorbid immunosuppressive diseases was associated with a significantly increased risk of severe insomnia (p=0,001).The mean ISI score in patients admitted to intensive care unit was 7.5 (range: 0-28), as compared to 7 (range: 0-27) in those receiving outpatient care and 5 (range: 0-28) in those admitted to clinics (p=0,023). It should be borne in mind that all patients with COVID-19 pneumonia, and particularly those with severe COVID-19 infection or those requiring prolonged hospital or intensive care unit stay, may be susceptible to psychiatric and sleep disorders and should be evaluated from this perspective. Keywords: COVID-19, sleep disorder, insomnia