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Beijing, May 2 (IANS): People with type 2 diabetes (T2D) are at increased risk of a poor outcome if they become infected with the new coronavirus (COVID-19), and in such situations, controlling blood sugar levels can lead to favorable results, they say. investigators.
More than 500 million people worldwide have T2D. While it was clear that people with this condition do worse with COVID-19, the researchers wondered what role a person’s blood glucose control might play in those results.
“We were surprised to see such favorable results in a well-controlled blood glucose group among patients with COVID-19 and pre-existing type 2 diabetes,” said study lead author Hongliang Li of Renmin Hospital at Wuhan University in China.
“Considering that people with diabetes had a much higher risk of death and various complications, and there are no specific medications for COVID-19, our findings indicate that controlling blood glucose well can act as an effective adjunct approach to improving prognosis for patients with COVID-19 and pre-existing diabetes, “added Li.
For the results, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, the research team conducted a retrospective longitudinal multicenter study that included 7,337 confirmed cases of COVID-19 enrolled in 19 hospitals in Hubei province, China.
Of these, 952 people had T2D and the other 6,385 did not. Among people with diabetes, 282 had well-controlled blood glucose; the other 528 did not.
The data showed that people admitted to the hospital with COVID-19 and T2D required more medical interventions.
Despite these interventions, they also had significantly higher mortality (7.8 percent vs. 2.7 percent), as well as a higher incidence of multiple organ injury.
However, those with well-controlled blood sugar and COVID-19 were less likely to die than those whose blood glucose was poorly controlled, the researchers said.
Meanwhile, those with well-managed T2D also received fewer medical interventions, including supplemental oxygen and / or ventilation, and had fewer health complications.
The researchers said the new findings offer three main messages for people with diabetes: People with diabetes must take extra precautions to avoid becoming infected, they take great care to keep their blood sugar under good control during the pandemic.
Once infected, patients with diabetes should monitor their blood glucose level to keep it in the correct range, in addition to any other necessary treatment.
The researchers said they will continue to study the relationship between the T2D and COVID-19 results. The hope is to learn more about the underlying biology that is leading to poorer outcomes for people with type 2 diabetes and high blood sugar levels.
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