Hyperglycemia Linked to Higher Mortality in COVID-19 Patients

TUESDAY, July 14, 2020 (HealthDay News) — For COVID-19 patients without a previous diagnosis of diabetes, fasting blood glucose (FBG) ≥7.0 mmol/L is an independent predictor of 28-day mortality, according to a study published online July 10 in Diabetologia.

Sufei Wang, from Tongji Medical College in Wuhan, China, and colleagues enrolled 605 COVID-19 patients with a definitive 28-day outcome and FBG measurement at admission from Jan. 24 to Feb. 10, 2020, from two hospitals in Wuhan. Demographic and clinical data, 28-day outcomes, in-hospital complications, and CRB-65 scores were examined; CRB-65 was used as a measure for assessing pneumonia severity.

The researchers found that 114 of the patients died in the hospital. In a multivariable analysis, independent predictors for 28-day mortality included age (hazard ratio, 1.02), male sex (hazard ratio, 1.75), CRB-65 score 1 to 2 (hazard ratio, 2.68), CRB-65 score 3 to 4 (hazard ratio, 5.25), and FBG ≥7.0 mmol/L (hazard ratio, 2.30). In those with FBG ≥7.0 mmol/L and 6.1 to 6.9 mmol/L versus <6.1 mmol/L, the odds ratios for 28-day in-hospital complications were 3.99 and 2.61, respectively.

“FBG ≥7.0 mmol/L at admission is an independent predictor for 28-day mortality in patients with COVID-19 without previous diagnosis of diabetes,” the authors write. “Glycemic testing and control should be recommended for all COVID-19 patients even if they do not have pre-existing diabetes, as most COVID-19 patients are prone to glucose metabolic disorders.”

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