Long term impact of Covid-19 infection on sleep and mental health: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

The long-term impact of the COVID-19 infection on mental health in people and its relation to the severity is unclear. We aimed to study the long-term effect of post-COVID-19 disease on sleep and mental health and to detect possible relationship between severity of COVID-19 at onset and sleep and mental illness. We enrolled 182 participants 6 months post COVID-19 infection and grouped into non-severe(101),severe(60) and critical(20) according to according to WHO guidance. All participants were assessed using Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index ", Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Checklist for DSM-5, and Symptom Checklist90 test. Only 8.8% had no psychiatric symptoms while 91.2% had psychiatric symptoms as follow (poor sleep (64.8%), PTSD (28.6%), somatization (41.8%), obsessive-compulsive (OCD) (19.8%), depression (11.5%), anxiety (28%), phobic-anxiety (24.2%), psychoticism (17.6%)). Diabetes, oxygen support or mechanically ventilated were a risk for sleep impairment, while high Neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio(NLR) was the only risk factor for PTSD. Other psychiatric illnesses had several risk factors: being female, diabetes, oxygen support or mechanically ventilated. Abnormal sleep, somatization and anxiety are the most common mental illnesses in Post-Covid19. The critical group is common associated with PTSD, anxiety, and psychosis. Being female, diabetic, having oxygen support or mechanically ventilated, and high NLR level are more vulnerable for mental illness in post COVID19.

Keywords: Anxiety; COVID-19; Depression; Insomnia; Mental health.