Ik zei het al eerder maar Diabetes is DE grote boosdoener voor het krijgen van Corona ook nu bij de kinderen en dit is infeite ook logisch met hun ongezonde manier van leven/eten,
Study Links Unmanaged Diabetes With Greater COVID-19 Severity
June 27, 2021
Data show diabetes patients not taking medication experienced longer hospitalization and recovery from the coronavirus.
Unmanaged diabetes is a key factor in COVID-19 severity and complications, particularly among Hispanic and Latinx populations, according to a new study. Findings of the retrospective study by investigators at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) were presented at the virtual 81st Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) by Ali Mossayebi, a master’s student at UTEP.1
According to ADA, 39.5% of Americans who have died of COVID-19 have had diabetes—the second-most common underlying condition, following cardiovascular disease (60.9%).2 Further, 1 in 10 individuals with diabetes who are hospitalized die within a week.3
When left untreated, diabetes can lead to increased overall health complications. However, nearly 1 in 5 Americans with diabetes report that they had to choose between buying food or buying medications and medical supplies required to manage the condition, because of increased financial constraints of the COVID-19 pandemic.4
The study sought to determine the impact of unmanaged diabetes, or a lack of medication use, on COVID-19 severity and recovery within in a predominately Hispanic population (89%)—a population that is 2.4 times more likely to die of COVID-19 and 50% more likelyto have diabetes than White Americans.5,6
This study used medical records from 369 patients with COVID-19 who were admitted to the University Medical Center in El Paso, Texas. These patients were categorized based on A1C levels into normoglycemic (N: A1C <5.7%), prediabetes (Pre: A1c 5.7% = 6.5%), and diabetes mellitus (DM: A1C = 6.5%) groups. The DM group was further categorized for their self-reported diabetes management with medication at the time of the admission.1
The study’s findings show that patients with unmanaged diabetes had significantly greater severity of COVID-19 based on quick sepsis-related organ failure assessment and length of hospitalization compared to patients who managed diabetes with medication. Moreover, patients with lower blood glucose levels had less severe complications and shorter hospital stays.1
“Our results highlight the importance of assessing, monitoring, and controlling blood glucose in hospitalized patients [with COVID-19] from the start, specifically for vulnerable populations already at risk of comorbidities.” said the study’s lead author Sudip Bajpeyi, PhD, director of UTEP’s Metabolic, Nutrition and Exercise Research (MiNER) laboratory.
According to the study’s authors, management of fasting blood glucose should be considered in the treatment of COVID-19 patients.7