State of type 2 diabetic Iraqi patients after hospitalization for COVID-19.

Abstract

Background: The coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) pandemic, triggered by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, has affected over 100 million people and killed around 2 million individuals. One of the most common chronic illnesses in the world is diabetes, which greatly raises the risk of hospitalization and death for COVID-19 patients.

Objective: This study aims to analyze the novel coronavirus's general characteristics and shed light on COVID-19 and its management in diabetic individuals by measuring some metabolic and inflammatory factors in type 2 diabetic patients with and without COVID-19.

Methods: One hundred Iraqi patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) were enrolled in the current study; 50 had COVID-19 with the Omicron variant, and 50 weren't. The diagnosis was designed by the consultant medical staff at the clinic. Eligible individuals had a positive nasal swab for reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection. They were compared with 50 healthy individuals as a control group. Every participant's anthropometric and clinical features were measured. The study includes the study groups' glycemic, lipid profile, serum urea, and C-reactive protein (CRP) measurements.

Results: There were remarkable rises (p < 0.05) in fasting and random blood glucose, serum lipid, and urea levels in diabetic patients with COVID-19 compared to those without COVID-19 and the control group. Also, a significant elevation (p = 0.01) was found in fasting serum insulin among diabetic patients with COVID-19 as compared to those without COVID-19 and the control group (32.75 ± 8.63 vs. 25.82 ± 3.50 and 10.65 ± 1.12) µU/L, respectively. Serum CRP levels significantly increased (p = 0.0001) in diabetic patients with COVID-19 compared to other groups.

Conclusion: Hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, and dyslipidemia resulting from cytokine storm significantly increased the risk of hospitalization and death among coronavirus disease-19 patients. It has been concluded that T2DM reliably predicts morbidity among COVID-19 patients presenting with symptoms suggestive of severe hyperglycemia. The results also show the temporary and reversible deficiency in insulin secretion associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 infection. Consequently, it is recommended to examine variables of insulin sensitivity and pancreatic islet activity among patients with COVID-19 who have a history of diabetes.