COVID-19 and diabetes mellitus: Clinical and laboratory features in hospitalized patients

Abstract

<b>Introduction:</b> In December 2019, China first encountered an unknown SARS-CoV-2 virus, after which a global lockdown began, first in European countries, and after a while the virus spread around the world. The course of COVID-19 aggravates the presence of concomitant diseases in the patient, among which diabetes mellitus occupies one of the first places. It should also be noted that the two-way interaction between COVID-19 and diabetes mellitus creates a vicious circle in which COVID-19 leads to worsening of dysglycemia, and diabetes mellitus, in turn, exacerbates the severity of COVID-19.<br /> In this article, we evaluated the relationship between diabetes mellitus and the prognosis of COVID-19 in patients of the Shymkent Infectious Diseases Hospital.<br /> <b>Aim: </b>Assessment of the relationship of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) with the course and outcomes of COVID-19, depending on clinical and laboratory parameters and concomitant diseases in an infectious hospital in Shymkent.<br /> <b>Material and methods:</b> Electronic medical records of groups of COVID-19 patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) (n=49) and without diabetes mellitus (n=151) were analyzed: demographic, clinical, laboratory and instrumental research methods; treatment regimens, complications and outcomes.<br /> <b>Results:</b> Compared with patients without diabetes mellitus, patients with diabetes mellitus had a significantly higher incidence of bilateral pneumonia (95.92%). According to complications and clinical outcomes, the incidence of respiratory failure (42% vs. 24%, P=0.022), acute heart failure (51% vs. 18%, P<01) and death (24% vs. 8.0%, P=0.01) in the diabetes group was significantly higher than in the group without diabetes mellitus. In addition, patients with diabetes mellitus had higher levels of neutrophils (P=012), C-reactive protein (P=008), procalcitonin (P<01) and D-dimer (P=032) and lower levels of lymphocytes (P=0.032) and albumin (P=034).<br /> <b>Conclusion:</b> Diabetes is a significant risk factor for an unfavorable prognosis of COVID-19. In order to avoid adverse outcomes, more attention should be paid to timely prevention and treatment of patients with diabetes, especially those who need insulin therapy.