Many people know that diabetes is a group of metabolic diseases characterized by hyperglycemia, which is caused by a defect in insulin secretion or impaired biological action, or both.
Chronic hyperglycemia, which persists during diabetes, leads to chronic damage and dysfunction of various tissues, especially the eyes, kidneys, heart, blood vessels and nerves.
So, is there a definite link between diabetes and novel coronavirus infections?
Recently, a peer-reviewed study supported by insulin management software company Glytec was published in the Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology. New research shows higher mortality in patients with novel coronavirus pneumonia due to underlying conditions such as diabetes or poor glycemic control.
The new study stems from observations of 1122 patients hospitalized for novel coronavirus pneumonia in the United States between March 1 and April 6, and data on these patients from 88 hospitals in 11 states were collected and sent to Glytec's database.
The data showed that 40% of the participants in this group had diabetes or hyperglycemia, meaning that their blood glucose levels were too high (two or more blood glucose monitoring readings of more than 180 mg/dL in any 24-hour period during hospitalization) or that their glycated hemoglobin A1C levels were greater than or equal to 6.5%.
The results showed that these patients with novel coronavirus pneumonia, who themselves had the underlying disease, had nearly four times higher in-hospital mortality rates and longer hospital stays than the general population.
As of May 16, the cumulative number of confirmed cases of novel coronavirus in the United States has reached 148,706, and the number of deaths due to novel coronavirus pneumonia has reached 88,606, which is the most serious epidemic in the world.
Special Report: Fighting The New Coronavirus
