Factors influencing the severity of COVID-19 course for patients with diabetes mellitus in tashkent: a retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND: Since the very first outbreak, scientists have been trying to determine the most critical pathogenetic mechanisms for the development of COVID-19 and related complications, analyze individual subpopulations of patients with chronic diseases and develop optimal tactics to combat not only the infection itself but also its acute and chronic complications.AIM: to assess the COVID-19 course among patients with Type 1 and Type 2 DM.MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of Tashkent inhabitants, who had COVID-19 from April to D ecember 2020, was performed. The data were obtained from the single electronic database of registered cases of COVID-19. All data were analyzed using a logistic regression in STATA 17.0 software. Further, the matched case-control study was performed for patients with type 2 DM and no DM based on age, gender, and BMI.RESULTS: Of the 5023 analyzed subjects, 72.63% had no diabetes mellitus (DM), 4.24% had type 1 DM, 15.19% had type 2 DM, and 7.94% was diagnosed with DM during the COVID-19 infection. DM, overweight, and obesity were associated with severe COVID-19; the most significant risk of a severe course was found in persons with type 2 DM. The risk of a lethal outcome and the need for prescription of glucocorticoids did not show a significant association with diabetes in Tashkent. The clinical features of COVID-19 were more common in patients with type 2 DM, especially for shortness of breath, chest pain, and arrhythmia. The persons receiving SU have complained of dyspnea significantly more often than matched patients without DM. Metformin and DPP4i were the groups of drugs that were not associated with significantly increased risk of hospitalization of patients because of COVID-19. The matched case-control study did not reveal statistically significant differences in the disease course severity, need for hospitalization and glucocorticoids, and death depending on the glucose-lowering therapy preceding the onset of COVID-19.CONCLUSION: Diabetes, age and overweight/obesity were associated with severe course of COVID-19 in Tashkent. There was no statistical difference in COVID-19 severity depending on initial glucose-lowering therapy.