Clinical analysis of risk factors for severe COVID-19 patients with type 2 diabetes

To describe characteristics of COVID-19 patients with type 2 diabetes and to analyze risk factors for severity.

Demographics, comorbidities, symptoms, laboratory findings, treatments and outcomes of COVID-19 patients with diabetes were collected and analyzed.

Seventy-fourCOVID-19 patients with diabetes were included. Twenty-seven patients (36.5%) were severe and 10 patients (13.5%) died. Higher levels of blood glucose, serum amyloid A (SAA), C reactive protein and interleukin 6 were associated with severe patients compared to non-severe ones (P<0.05). Levels of albumin, cholesterol, high density lipoprotein, small and dense low density lipoprotein and CD4⁺T lymphocyte counts in severe patients were lower than those in non-severe patients (P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis identified decreased CD4⁺T lymphocyte counts (odds ratio [OR]=0.988, 95%Confidence interval [95%CI] 0.979-0.997) and increased SAA levels (OR=1.029, 95%CI 1.002-1.058) as risk factors for severity of COVID-19 with diabetes (P<0.05).

Type 2 diabetic patients were more susceptible to COVID-19 than overall population, which might be associated with hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia. Aggressive treatment should be suggested, especially when these patients had low CD4⁺T lymphocyte counts and high SAA levels.