Patients with diabetes are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19

G Targher; A Mantovani; X-B Wang; H-D Yan; Q-F Sun; K-H Pan; C D Byrne; K I Zheng; Y-P Chen; M Eslam; J George; M-H Zheng

doi:10.1016/j.diabet.2020.05.001

Patients with diabetes are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19

Diabetes Metab. 2020 Sep;46(4):335-337. doi: 10.1016/j.diabet.2020.05.001. Epub 2020 May 13.

Authors

G Targher¹, A Mantovani², X-B Wang³, H-D Yan⁴, Q-F Sun⁵, K-H Pan⁶, C D Byrne⁷, K I Zheng⁸, Y-P Chen⁹, M Eslam¹⁰, J George¹⁰, M-H Zheng¹¹

Affiliations

¹ Section of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, University and Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata of Verona, Verona, Italy. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Section of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, University and Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata of Verona, Verona, Italy.
³ Department of Critical Care Medicine, Wenzhou Central Hospital, Wenzhou, China.
⁴ Department of Hepatology, Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment of Digestive System Tumours of Zhejiang Province, Hwamei Hospital, Ningbo No.2 Hospital, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, China.
⁵ Department of Infectious Diseases, Ruian People's Hospital, Wenzhou, China.
⁶ Department of Radiology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
⁷ Southampton National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospital Southampton, Southampton General Hospital, Southampton, UK.
⁸ MAFLD Research Centre, Department of Hepatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
⁹ MAFLD Research Centre, Department of Hepatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China; Institute of Hepatology, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
¹⁰ Storr Liver Centre, Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead Hospital and University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
¹¹ MAFLD Research Centre, Department of Hepatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China; Institute of Hepatology, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China; Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment for The Development of Chronic Liver Disease in Zhejiang Province, Wenzhou, China. Electronic address: [email protected].

Abstract

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It is currently uncertain whether people with diabetes are at higher risk of severe illness from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
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We found that diabetes was associated with an approximately 4-fold increased risk of having severe/critical COVID-19 illness.
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This association was independent of age, sex, obesity, hypertension and smoking.
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These findings highlight the urgent need for a multidisciplinary team-based approach to management of this patient population.

Publication types

Letter
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Betacoronavirus
Blood Glucose / analysis
COVID-19
Coronavirus Infections / complications*
Coronavirus Infections / epidemiology*
Coronavirus Infections / physiopathology
Diabetes Complications / complications*
Diabetes Complications / epidemiology*
Female
Hospitalization / statistics & numerical data
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Pandemics
Pneumonia, Viral / complications*
Pneumonia, Viral / epidemiology*
Pneumonia, Viral / physiopathology
Retrospective Studies
SARS-CoV-2

Substances

Blood Glucose