New study points to diabetes management as critical factor in improving patient outcomes during pandemic outbreaks
WASHINGTON, June 25, 2021 – Findings of a new study show diabetes was the main risk factor for the accelerated advancement to a severe state in Japanese COVID-19 patients. Results of the retrospective analysis were presented at the virtual 81st Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association® (ADA).
Throughout the pandemic, diabetes has persisted as a significant risk factor for COVID-19. In hospitalized patients with diabetes and COVID-19, one in 10 people die within seven days of admission.1 Across the U.S. alone, diabetes is the second most reported underlying health condition among COVID-19 patients.2 Ongoing research is required to understand the global impact of COVID-19 on individuals with diabetes.
The study focused on patients characterized as “moderate” by the Osaka Prefectural Government stratification. A retrospective analysis in type 2 diabetes patients compared with a control was conducted. Patients enrolled were 51% male, aged 42.2–78.2, with body mass indexes ranging from 22.4–32.8. Of the total 102 patients, 49% were type 2 diabetes patients.
Findings show that 88% of patients moving from the moderate to the severe classification had type 2 diabetes. A total of 25 patients (24.5%) moved from the moderate to the severe classification, with 18 patients (17.6%), including 88.9% with type 2 diabetes, ventilated and transferred to another hospital for advanced treatment. Seven patients (6.9%), including 71.4% with type 2 diabetes, died after ventilation was declined by the families due to advanced age and dementia. Twenty-five diabetes patients (24.5%) improved.
“Our findings shed light on the combined threat of COVID-19 and diabetes has on global population health and reinforces the importance of diabetes prevention more than ever before,” said Shizuka Kaneko, MD, PhD and lead author of the study. “While future pandemics are unpredictable, diabetes can be effectively managed—which could ultimately have far-reaching impacts on patient outcomes especially during times of public health crisis, like the COVID-19 outbreak.”
The authors state that a more comprehensive study is needed to access diabetes as a risk factor for COVID-19 progression.
Research presentation details:
- Poster Diabetes in Japanese COVID-19 Patients as the Primary Factor of Accelerated Progression to Severe State will be made available beginning Friday, June 25, at 11:30 a.m. ET.
1 https://diatribe.org/1-10-people-covid-and-diabetes-die-within-seven-days-hospital-admission
2 https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6928e1.htm
SOURCE American Diabetes Association
