Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 11, 2025
A High-Throughput Multiplexed Screening for Type 1 Diabetes, Celiac Diseases, and COVID-19
Published on: July 5, 2022
The relationship between diabetes and clinical outcomes in COVID-19: a single-center retrospective analysis
Tamaryn Fox1, Kathleen Ruddiman2, Kevin Bryan Lo2
1Department of Medicine, Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia, 5501 Old York Road, Philadelphia, PA, 19141, USA. FoxTamar@einstein.edu.
Insights
Diabetic patients with COVID-19 experience more severe disease and poorer outcomes. However, African-American diabetic patients showed no difference in severity or outcomes compared to non-African-Americans.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Endocrinology
- Public Health
Background:
- Diabetes mellitus is a significant comorbidity associated with severe Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) and poorer outcomes.
- Existing research on COVID-19 in diabetic populations is predominantly from Asian and Caucasian cohorts, with limited data on African-Americans.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the clinical outcomes and disease severity of COVID-19 in diabetic patients, with a specific focus on the African-American population.
- To compare outcomes between diabetic and non-diabetic patients admitted with COVID-19.
Main Methods:
- A single-center, retrospective observational study was conducted at Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia.
- Adult patients (over 18 years) diagnosed with COVID-19 were included and categorized based on a pre-existing diagnosis of diabetes mellitus.
- Demographic, clinical, comorbidity, laboratory, and outcome data were collected and analyzed.
Main Results:
- The study included 355 patients, with 70% being African-American and 47% having diabetes.
- Diabetic patients exhibited higher peak inflammatory markers (CRP, LDH) and a greater need for renal replacement therapy/hemodialysis (RRT/HD) and vasopressors.
- No significant differences in inpatient mortality, need for RRT/HD, intubation, or vasopressors were observed between African-American diabetic and non-diabetic patients.
Conclusions:
- COVID-19 patients with diabetes mellitus generally experience more severe disease and worse clinical outcomes.
- Within the studied cohort, African-American patients with diabetes did not present with different disease severity or outcomes compared to non-African-American patients.
Aims:
Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) has become a pandemic. Diabetic patients tend to have poorer outcomes and more severe disease (Kumar et al. in Diabetes Metab Syndr 14(4):535-545, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsx.2020.04.044 ). However, the vast majority of studies are representative of Asian and Caucasian population and fewer represent an African-American population.
Methods:
In this single-center, retrospective observational study, we included all adult patients (> 18 years old) admitted to Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia, with a diagnosis of COVID-19. Patients were classified according to having a known diagnosis of diabetes mellitus. Demographic and clinical data, comorbidities, outcomes and laboratory findings were obtained.
Results:
Our sample included a total of 355 patients. 70% were African-American, and 47% had diabetes. Patients with diabetes had higher peak inflammatory markers like CRP 184 (111-258) versus 142 (65-229) p = 0.012 and peak LDH 560 (384-758) versus 499 (324-655) p = 0.017. The need for RRT/HD was significantly higher in patients with diabetes (21% vs 11% p = 0.013) as well as the need for vasopressors (28% vs 18% p = 0.023). Only age was found to be an independent predictor of mortality. We found no significant differences in inpatient mortality p = 0.856, need for RRT/HD p = 0.429, need for intubation p = 1.000 and need for vasopressors p = 0.471 in African-Americans with diabetes when compared to non-African-Americans.
Conclusions:
Our study demonstrates that patients with COVID-19 and diabetes tend to have more severe disease and poorer clinical outcomes. African-American patients with diabetes did not differ in outcomes or disease severity when compared to non-African-American patients.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:22Diabetes Mellitus: Type 2 and Gestational
01:15Diabetes: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Complications
01:20Pathophysiology of Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is characterized by autoimmune-mediated destruction of pancreatic β cells, with environmental factors potentially triggering this process in genetically susceptible individuals. Despite many not having a family history, certain genes increase susceptibility,...
01:22Diabetes Mellitus: Overview and Type I Subtype
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. As a result, the body is unable to produce sufficient insulin, and individuals with...
01:15Diabetes: Management and Pharmacotherapy
Insulin remains the cornerstone of treatment for most patients with type 1 and many...
01:19Overview of Carbohydrate Metabolism
Glucose transport into cells is facilitated by a family of transport proteins called GLUT (Glucose Transporters). GLUT4 is the primary glucose transporter for insulin-stimulated glucose...