Anxiety, Depression, and Fear among People with and without Diabetes During the Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The present study aimed to evaluate the anxiety, depression, and fear in people with and without diabetes during the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. METHODS: In this comparative study (n=353), people with diabetes (n=121) and those without diabetes (n=232) were investigated for physiological aspects of COVID-19 during the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant outbreak. This study was performed at the Prince Sultan Military Medical City (PSMMC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. On request, the participants responded to the survey questionnaires, providing data on demographics, Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7), and Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2) to screen for anxiety, depression, and COVID-19-related fears. RESULTS: The GAD statement revealed a significantly higher degree of nervousness and anxiety among people with diabetes when compared to people without diabetes (P = 0.001). For the other GAD statements, no statistical difference was observed between the responses of people with and without diabetes, including the overall GAD-7 (P = 0.091). Moreover, no significant change was observed in the total GAD between those with diabetes and those without it. The PHQ-2 statement, concerning a feeling of depression or hopelessness noted a significant escalation among diabetes compared to nondiabetes (P = 0.004). Furthermore, in the overall PHQ-2, a significant escalation (P = 0.011) was noticed among people with diabetes compared to nondiabetes. In addition, people with diabetes had a significantly high (P = 0.037) COVID-19-related fear reported, compared to people without diabetes. CONCLUSION: The need for comprehensive research is urgent, as it will facilitate a better understanding of the physiological aspects of COVID-19 for patients with diabetes.

COVID-19 among people with diabetes mellitus in Saudi Arabia: Current situation and new perspectives.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: This review aims to report the current status of COVID-19 among people with diabetes, newly diagnosed diabetes, diabetic ketoacidosis, and programmatic efforts including vaccinations. METHODS: We conducted a literature search using PubMed, Google, and Scopus until July 15, 2021. RESULTS: In Saudi Arabia, most studies have reported diabetes as one of the highly prevalent comorbidities among patients with COVID-19. Currently, there are limited studies from Saudi Arabia on the newly diagnosed diabetes and diabetic ketoacidosis caused by COVID-19. The Saudi ministry has taken several measures to control the impact of COVID-19 among people with diabetes, including comprehensive guidelines and prioritized vaccinations. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of telehealth services dramatically increased in diabetes clinics in Saudi Arabia. CONCLUSIONS: Focused and evidence-based interventions are essential to control the impact of COVID-19 among people with diabetes.

COVID-19 Community Transmission among Healthcare Workers at a Tertiary Care Cardiac Center.

Aim: To determine the frequency, mode of transmission, and outcome of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) among healthcare workers (HCWs) in a tertiary care cardiac center in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Methods: This is a retrospective study of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infected HCWs and was conducted from 2 March to 31 December 2020. Data related to the presence of COVID-19 symptoms, mode of transmission, hospitalization, and mortality were collected from the patients' medical records. Results: Of the 4462 patients tested for COVID-19 by real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), 203 (4.5%) HCWs were positive; of these, 125 (61.6%) were males, and the most common age group was <40 years. The most commonly encountered health professionals were nurses (74, 36.4%), followed by therapists/technicians (48, 23.6%), housekeepers (25, 12.3%), and physicians (21, 10.4%). The majority (184, 90.6%) of the HCWs contracted COVID-19 in the community, and only 19 (9.4%) were healthcare-associated infections. Of the infected HCWs, 169 (83.3%) had mild symptoms and were managed in home isolation. The most common symptoms were fever (128, 63.1%), body ache (124, 61.8%), headache (113, 55.7%), dry cough (123, 60.6%), sore throat (97, 47.8%), body weakness (97, 47.8%), and fatigue (94, 46.3%). Comparing males and females, there was a significantly higher number of female nurses; in contrast, there was a higher number of male physicians, housekeepers, therapists/technicians, and other specialty HCWs. A significantly lower number of nurses, therapists/technicians were infected in the ≥40 years age group compared to <40 years. Furthermore, a significantly higher difference was observed among non-Saudi nurses compared to Saudi nurses. No mortality was documented among the included HCWs. Conclusions: In the largest tertiary cardiac center in KSA, most HCWs who contracted COVID-19 developed mild symptoms; nurses and those aged <40 years were most commonly infected, and most infections were acquired in the community. HCWs' adherence to mitigation measures outside of the workplace is vital to curb the current pandemic and decrease nosocomial transmission risk.

Clinical characteristics of hospitalized and home isolated COVID-19 patients with type 1 diabetes.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: To elucidate the clinical features of COVID-19 patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) under hospitalization and home isolation conditions. METHOD: This retrospective study was conducted among 32 patients with COVID-19 and T1D, who sought treatment at the Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia between May 01, 2020 and July 30, 2020. Patients data were extracted from electronic medical records. RESULTS: Of the total of 32 COVID-19 patients with T1D, 21.9% required hospitalization, while 78.1% underwent home isolation. Among the study population, 9.4% (3/32) were reported to have hypertension, 21.9% (7/32) had chronic pulmonary disease (CPD), 18.8% (6/32) had thyroid disorders, and 18.8% (6/32) had the celiac disease. Of the 32 studied patients, 68.8% (22/32) of them were reported as normal, while 28.1% (9/32) had chronic kidney disease (CKD) II and 3.1% (1/32) had end-stage renal failure. The most common symptoms observed among the hospitalized patients were nausea and vomiting (71.4%; 5/7), followed by fever (57.1%; 4/7), cough (42.8%; 3/7), sore throat (42.8%; 3/7), abdominal pain (42.8%; 3/7) and dyspnea (42.%; 3/7). The most common reasons for hospitalization were diabetic ketoacidosis (71.4%; 5/7) followed by bacterial pneumonia (14.3%; 1/7), fever (14.3%; 1/7), sore throat (14.3%; 1/7), severe hyperglycemia (14.3%; 1/7) and COVID-19 pneumonia (14.3%; 1/7). Except the severity of COVID-19 (p = 0.0001), none of the demographic and clinical parameters indicated statistically significant differences between patients requiring hospitalization and home isolation. CONCLUSION: Majority of the COVID-19 patients with T1D recovered with conservative treatment at home. Diabetic ketoacidosis was the most common reason for hospitalization.

COVID-19 in People with Diabetes: Perspectives from Saudi Arabia.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and diabetes have major impacts on the health of the population across the world. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, people with diabetes have been identified to be more vulnerable to infection and at greater risk for hospitalization. As diabetes is one of the major health issues in Saudi Arabia, the current study describes the perspectives of COVID-19 in people with diabetes and the steps taken by the government to minimize its impact. Most patients with COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia experience mild illness, while people with diabetes are at increased risk of disease severity and mortality. The government of Saudi Arabia has taken several measures to control and mitigate the effect of the pandemic, as the Saudi population is gradually returning back to normal life. However, currently, there are limited studies from Saudi Arabia on COVID-19 among people with diabetes and the effectiveness of interventions. We emphasize the necessity for comprehensive research, which would provide a better understanding of the incidence of COVID-19 and its association with diabetes to develop evidence- based programs and policies in the country.

COVID-19 in People with Diabetes: Epidemiological Perspectives and Public Health Actions in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region.

It is evident that COVID-19 and diabetes have a significant influence on population health across the world, including the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. COVID-19 patients with diabetes have been observed to be more prone to developing severe infections and higher risk of mortality compared to non-diabetics. As diabetes is one of the major health issues, widely prevalent in the MENA countries, the current review focused on understanding the epidemiology of COVID-19 in people with diabetes, and the interventions implemented by the governments to minimize the impact of it. Considering the importance and need, the MENA countries have enforced several prevention and control measures to mitigate the impact of the pandemic. Though there has been a considerable amount of research on COVID-19, only a few countries from the MENA region focused on the epidemiology of COVID-19 among patients with diabetes and its effects. Hence, we emphasize the need for intensive research which is an urgent need to have a clear understanding of COVID-19 and its association with diabetes to develop and implement evidence- based programs and policies in the MENA region.