Glycemic Gap Predicts Mortality in a Large Multicenter Cohort Hospitalized with COVID-19.

PURPOSE: Diabetes or hyperglycemia at admission are established risk factors for adverse outcomes during hospitalization for COVID-19, but the impact of prior glycemic control is not clear. METHODS: We examined the relationship between clinical predictors including acute and chronic glycemia and clinical outcomes including ICU admission, mechanical ventilation (MV), and mortality among 1,786 individuals with diabetes or hyperglycemia (glucose > 10 mmol/l twice in 24 hrs.) admitted from March 2020 through February 2021 with COVID-19 infection at 5 university hospitals in the eastern U.S. RESULTS: The cohort was 51.3% male, 53.3% White, 18.8% Black, 29.0% Hispanic, with age = 65.6 ± 14.4 yrs., BMI = 31.5 ± 7.9 kg/m2, glucose = 12.0 ± 7.5 mmol/l [216 ± 135 mg/dl], and HbA1c = 8.07 ± 2.25%. During hospitalization, 38.9% were admitted to the ICU, 22.9% received MV, and 10.6% died. Age (p < 0.001) and admission glucose (p = 0.014) but not HbA1c were associated with increased risk of mortality. Glycemic gap, defined as admission glucose minus estimated average glucose based on HbA1c, was a stronger predictor of mortality than either admission glucose or HbA1c alone (OR = 1.040 [95% CI: 1.019, 1.061] per mmol/l, p < 0.001). In an adjusted multivariable model, glycemic gap, age, BMI, and diabetic ketoacidosis on admission were associated with increased mortality, while higher eGFR and use of any diabetes medication were associated with lower mortality (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Relative hyperglycemia, as measured by the admission glycemic gap, is an important marker of mortality risk in COVID-19.

ADR Profile of the Covishield Vaccine Among Healthcare Workers in a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital in India.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2/2019-nCoV). Though many classes of drugs have been advocated/used for the treatment of this disease, vaccines are being targeted for its ultimate prevention. Indian Government has approved Covishield (ChAdOx1 nCoV19 Corona Virus Vaccine-Recombinant) for restricted use in emergency circumstances. OBJECTIVE: This study is aimed at evaluating the safety profile of the Covishield vaccine among healthcare workers in a tertiary care hospital. METHODS: All Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) reported to the ADR monitoring centre by healthcare workers who received the Covishield vaccine during the study period of 3 months were analysed on various parameters, and the assessment was done using the WHO-UMC scale. RESULTS: During the study period, a total of 1216 beneficiaries were vaccinated with 1st dose of Covishield, and out of these, 727 beneficiaries also received 2nd dose of the vaccine. Out of the 1216 beneficiaries vaccinated, 69 ADRs were reported in 24 healthcare workers. The most common ADR reported was fever (24.64%), followed by myalgia (18.84%). No death or any serious anaphylactic reaction was observed. None of the healthcare workers experienced any adverse event during the observation period of 30 minutes. Serious reactions were reported in 4 healthcare workers as per the Pharmacovigilance Programme of India (PvPI) criteria of serious AEFI. 92% of healthcare workers recovered from ADRs during the study period. 84% of ADRs were classified as probable as per the WHO-UMC scale. CONCLUSION: As per the Government of India directives, all the healthcare workers in the institute were encouraged to take both doses of the Covishield vaccine. The beneficiaries were kept under observation for 30 minutes and monitored for any adverse drug reaction following vaccination. The vaccine was found to be safe with a very low incidence of ADRs.

Stress Hyperglycemia Predicts Mechanical Ventilation and Death in COVID-19 Infected Adults

People with diabetes (DM) hospitalized with COVID-19 infection have a 2-3 fold higher risk of death compared with those without DM, and mechanical ventilation (MV) has been identified as a major risk factor for death. While stress hyperglycemia (StH) has been established as a risk factor for death in some critically ill cohorts, it is not a well-established risk factor for MV in COVID-19. The COVIDEastDM consortium pooled data from 5 academic hospitals on the East Coast of the US to study the relationship between hyperglycemia and COVID-19 outcomes. Data were obtained retrospectively from electronic records of adults with COVID-19 and either DM or StH (defined in this cohort as day-1 admission blood glucose >180 mg/dl and A1c <6.5%). This analysis included 3,435 individuals, of which 1,001 (29.1%) required MV and 748 (21.8%) died. The mean age was 67 ± 15 yrs., BMI 30.4 ± 7.7 kg/m2, A1c 7.98 ± 2.21 % and glucose 184 ± 104 mg/dl. Additionally, 57% were male, 4 % Asian,19% Black, 52% White, and 28% Hispanic. In a univariate analysis, risk factors for MV included younger age (OR 0.98 [95% CI 0.97, 0.99] per year older), male sex (OR 1.4 [1.2, 1.7]), BMI (OR 1.013 [1.003, 1.023] per kg/m2), Hispanic ethnicity (OR 1.16 [1.07, 1.28]) and the presence of diabetic ketoacidosis (n=38) at admission (OR 3.9 [2.0, 7.5]). Patients with StH were more likely to require MV (OR 1.93, [1.10, 3.39]). In a multivariate analysis, this relationship was continuous, with both lower A1c and higher glucose increasing risk of MV (p< 0.01 for higher glucose, p<0.001 for lower A1c). Patients who required MV were more likely to die than those who did not require MV (OR 5.1, [4.3, 6.1]) and StH predicted mortality in the multivariate analysis. Thus, in patients hospitalized with COVID19 infection, StH is a strong predictor of both MV and death in COVID-19 infected adults. While it is unclear if StH is a cause or effect of severe COVID-19, its presence early in the hospital course identifies higher risk patients and could potentially impact management.