ABSTRACT
Objective: Migrant workers, a marginalized and under-resourced population, are vulnerable to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) due to limited healthcare access. Moreover, metabolic diseases-such as diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension, and hyperlipidemia-predispose to severe complications and mortality from COVID-19. We investigate the prevalence and consequences of undiagnosed metabolic illnesses, particularly DM and pre-diabetes, in international migrant workers with COVID-19. Methods: In this retrospective analysis, we analyzed the medical records of international migrant workers with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 hospitalized at a tertiary hospital in Singapore from April 21 to June 1, 2020. We determined the prevalence of DM and pre-diabetes, and analyzed the risk of developing complications, such as pneumonia and electrolyte abnormalities, based on age and diagnosis of DM, and pre-diabetes. Results: Two hundred and fouty male migrant workers, with mean age of 44.2 years [standard deviation (SD), 8.5years], were included. Twenty one patients (8.8%) were diagnosed with pre-diabetes, and 19 (7.9%) with DM. DM was poorly controlled with a mean HbA1c of 9.9% (SD, 2.4%). 73.7% of the patients with DM and all the patients with pre-diabetes were previously undiagnosed. Pre-diabetes was associated with higher risk of pneumonia [odds ratio (OR), 10.8, 95% confidence interval (CI), 3.65-32.1; P < 0.0001], hyponatremia (OR, 8.83; 95% CI, 1.17-66.6; P = 0.0342), and hypokalemia (OR, 4.58; 95% CI, 1.52-13.82; P = 0.0069). Moreover, patients with DM or pre-diabetes developed COVID-19 infection with lower viral RNA levels. Conclusions: The high prevalence of undiagnosed pre-diabetes among international migrant workers increases their risk of pneumonia and electrolyte abnormalities from COVID-19.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Diabetes Mellitus , Prediabetic State , Transients and Migrants , Undiagnosed Diseases , Adult , COVID-19/diagnosis , COVID-19/epidemiology , Diabetes Mellitus/diagnosis , Diabetes Mellitus/epidemiology , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Prediabetic State/diagnosis , Prediabetic State/epidemiology , Retrospective Studies , Risk Assessment , SARS-CoV-2/isolation & purification , Singapore/epidemiology , Transients and Migrants/statistics & numerical data , Undiagnosed Diseases/epidemiology , Young AdultABSTRACT
Background: Arterial and venous thrombosis are reported to be common in critically ill COVID-19 patients.Method and Results: This is a national multicenter retrospective observational study involving all consecutive adult COVID-19 patients who required intensive care units (ICU) admission between 23 January 2020 and 30 April 2020 in Singapore. 111 patients were included and the venous and arterial thrombotic rates in ICU were 1.8% (n=2) and 9.9% (n=11), respectively. Major bleeding rate was 14.8% (n=16). Conclusions: Critically ill COVID-19 patients in Singapore have lower venous thromboembolism but higher arterial thrombosis rates and bleeding manifestations than other reported cohorts.