Subject(s)
Coronavirus Infections , Glucocorticoids , Hyperglycemia , Pandemics , Pneumonia, Viral , Betacoronavirus , COVID-19 , Humans , Hyperglycemia/drug therapy , Hyperglycemia/epidemiology , Inpatients , SARS-CoV-2ABSTRACT
AIMS: We investigated whether pre-existing diabetes, newly-diagnosed diabetes, and admission hyperglycemia were associated with COVID-19 severity independently from confounders. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed data on patients with COVID-19 hospitalized between February and April 2020 in an outbreak hospital in North-East Italy. Pre-existing diabetes was defined by self-reported history, electronic medical records, or ongoing medications. Newly-diagnosed diabetes was defined by HbA1c and fasting glucose. The primary outcome was a composite of ICU admission or death. RESULTS: 413 subjects were included, 107 of whom (25.6%) had diabetes, including 21 newly-diagnosed. Patients with diabetes were older and had greater comorbidity burden. The primary outcome occurred in 37.4% of patients with diabetes compared to 20.3% in those without (RR 1.85; 95%C.I. 1.33-2.57; p < 0.001). The association was stronger for newly-diagnosed compared to pre-existing diabetes (RR 3.06 vs 1.55; p = 0.004). Higher glucose level at admission was associated with COVID-19 severity, with a stronger association among patients without as compared to those with pre-existing diabetes (interaction p < 0.001). Admission glucose was correlated with most clinical severity indexes and its association with adverse outcome was mostly mediated by a worse respiratory function. CONCLUSION: Newly-diagnosed diabetes and admission hyperglycemia are powerful predictors of COVID-19 severity due to rapid respiratory deterioration.
Subject(s)
Coronavirus Infections/diagnosis , Diabetes Complications/diagnosis , Diabetes Mellitus/diagnosis , Hyperglycemia/complications , Hyperglycemia/diagnosis , Patient Admission , Pneumonia, Viral/diagnosis , Age of Onset , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Betacoronavirus/physiology , Blood Glucose/analysis , Blood Glucose/metabolism , COVID-19 , Comorbidity , Coronavirus Infections/complications , Coronavirus Infections/epidemiology , Coronavirus Infections/therapy , Diabetes Complications/blood , Diabetes Complications/epidemiology , Diabetes Complications/pathology , Diabetes Mellitus/blood , Diabetes Mellitus/epidemiology , Diabetes Mellitus/therapy , Female , Humans , Hyperglycemia/epidemiology , Hyperglycemia/therapy , Italy/epidemiology , Male , Middle Aged , Pandemics , Pneumonia, Viral/complications , Pneumonia, Viral/epidemiology , Pneumonia, Viral/therapy , Prognosis , Retrospective Studies , SARS-CoV-2 , Severity of Illness Index , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
Because other coronaviruses enter the cells by binding to dipeptidyl-peptidase-4 (DPP-4), it has been speculated that DPP-4 inhibitors (DPP-4is) may exert an activity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. In the absence of clinical trial results, we analysed epidemiological data to support or discard such a hypothesis. We retrieved information on exposure to DPP-4is among patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) hospitalized for COVID-19 at an outbreak hospital in Italy. As a reference, we retrieved information on exposure to DPP-4is among matched patients with T2D in the same region. Of 403 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, 85 had T2D. The rate of exposure to DPP-4is was similar between T2D patients with COVID-19 (10.6%) and 14 857 matched patients in the region (8.8%), or 793 matched patients in the local outpatient clinic (15.4%), 8284 matched patients hospitalized for other reasons (8.5%), and when comparing 71 patients hospitalized for COVID-19 pneumonia (11.3%) with 351 matched patients with pneumonia of another aetiology (10.3%). T2D patients with COVID-19 who were on DPP-4is had a similar disease outcome as those who were not. In summary, we found no evidence that DPP-4is might affect hospitalization for COVID-19.