Clinical characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19 patients with diabetes mellitus in Kuwait
Abdullah Alshukry,
Mohammad Bu Abbas,
Yaseen Ali,
Barrak Alahmad,
Abdullah A. Al-Shammari,
Ghadeer Alhamar,
Mohammad Abu-Farha,
Jehad AbuBaker,
Sriraman Devarajan,
Ali A. Dashti,
Fahd Al-Mulla,
Hamad Ali
Affiliations
Abdullah Alshukry
Department of Otolaryngology & Head and Neck Surgery, Jaber Al-Ahmad Hospital, Ministry of Health, Kuwait
Mohammad Bu Abbas
Department of Otolaryngology & Head and Neck Surgery, Jaber Al-Ahmad Hospital, Ministry of Health, Kuwait
Yaseen Ali
Department of Otolaryngology & Head and Neck Surgery, Jaber Al-Ahmad Hospital, Ministry of Health, Kuwait
Barrak Alahmad
Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
Abdullah A. Al-Shammari
Research Sector, Dasman Diabetes Institute (DDI), Dasman, Kuwait; Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Sciences, Kuwait University, Kuwait
Ghadeer Alhamar
Research Sector, Dasman Diabetes Institute (DDI), Dasman, Kuwait; Endocrinology & Diabetes Unit, Campus Biomedico, University of Rome, Rome, Italy
Mohammad Abu-Farha
Research Sector, Dasman Diabetes Institute (DDI), Dasman, Kuwait
Jehad AbuBaker
Research Sector, Dasman Diabetes Institute (DDI), Dasman, Kuwait
Sriraman Devarajan
Research Sector, Dasman Diabetes Institute (DDI), Dasman, Kuwait
Ali A. Dashti
Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Health Sciences Center (HSC), Kuwait University, Kuwait
Fahd Al-Mulla
Research Sector, Dasman Diabetes Institute (DDI), Dasman, Kuwait
Hamad Ali
Research Sector, Dasman Diabetes Institute (DDI), Dasman, Kuwait; Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Health Sciences Center (HSC), Kuwait University, Kuwait; Corresponding author.
Background: COVID-19 has a highly variable clinical presentation, ranging from asymptomatic to severe respiratory symptoms and death. Diabetes seems to be one of the main comorbidities contributing to a worse COVID-19 outcome. Objective: In here we analyze the clinical characteristics and outcomes of diabetic COVID-19 patients Kuwait. Methods: In this single-center, retrospective study of 417 consecutive COVID-19 patients, we analyze and compare disease severity, outcome, associated complications, and clinical laboratory findings between diabetic and non-diabetic COVID-19 patients. Results: COVID-19 patients with diabetes had more ICU admission than non-diabetic COVID-19 patients (42.4% vs. 7.7%, p < 0.001). Diabetic COVID-19 patients also recorded higher mortality in comparison to non-diabetic COVID-19 patients (34.7% vs. 3.7%, p < 0.001). Diabetic COVID-19 patients had significantly higher prevalence of comorbidities, such as hypertension. Laboratory investigations also highlighted notably higher levels of C-reactive protein in diabetic COVID019 patients and lower estimated glomerular filtration rate. They also showed a higher incidence of complications. logistic regression analysis showed that every 1 mmol/L increase in fasting blood glucose in COVID-19 patients is associated with 1.52 (95% CI: 1.34–1.72, p < 0.001) times the odds of dying from COVID-19. Conclusion: Diabetes is a major contributor to worsening outcomes in COVID-19 patients. Understanding the pathophysiology underlining these findings could provide insight into better management and improved outcome of such cases.
