Diabetes Mellitus as a Bad Prognostic Marker in COVID-19 Patients and Its Relationship with Inflammatory Markers (CRP, D-dimer, LDH, and Ferritin)

Ab s t r Ac t Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a newly recognized illness that is spreading rapidly around the world, causing many disabilities and deaths. Some diseases, for instance, diabetes, are continuously suggested as a risk factor, which contribute to the severity and mortality of COVID-19. However, to date, there are no comprehensive studies done that are aimed at explaining the exact relationship between diabetes mellitus and COVID-19. Thus, this study aims to evaluate the relationship between diabetes and COVID-19 and its relationship with inflammatory markers. Materials and methods: This single-center retrospective observational study was conducted on 187 patients diagnosed with COVID-19. The data were collected on admission or during hospitalization by the attending physicians and was documented in the form of electronic medical records. The need for informed consent from patients was waived due to the time constraints during the COVID-19 emergency. Results: Of the 187 hospitalized patients with COVID-19, 50 patients had diabetes. The median age was 59 years and 35 (70.00%) were male. Common symptoms among all patients included fever (57.21%) and cough (48.13%). Patients with diabetes had a non-significantly higher LDH, ferritin, CRP, and D-dimer when compared with those without diabetes. Coronavirus disease 2019 patients with diabetes were significantly more likely to develop severe disease or suffer mortality, indicating a poorer prognosis among COVID-19 patients. Conclusion: We concluded that diabetes mellitus is associated with greater disease severity and poor outcome (mortality) in COVID-19, and a higher but statistically non-significant inflammatory burden.