ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the pooled estimate of diabetes prevalence in young (<50 years) versus elderly (>50 years) COVID-19 cohorts. METHODS: Studies published between December-2019 and March-2020 reporting demographic and clinical characteristics of COVID-19 cases were identified. A total of 11 studies included accounting for 2084 COVID-19 patients. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of diabetes in COVID-19 patients with a mean age>50 years was 13.2%, whereas studies with relatively younger patients (mean age <50 years) had a pooled prevalence of 9.0% CONCLUSION: The overall prevalence of diabetes in COVID-19 patients was found to be 13.2% with studies including relatively elderly patients showing higher rates of diabetes. The intermingled effects of diabetes with other cardiovascular comorbidities warrant age-specific outcomes data including the impact of ongoing antidiabetic treatment.