Glucose variability is a marker for COVID-19 severity and mortality

Ran Abuhasira1,2, Alon Grossman1,3

  • 1Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.

Insights

High glucose variability in hospitalized COVID-19 patients may indicate higher mortality risk, but this link weakens with clinical data adjustments. Glucose coefficient of variation (CV) is a potential simple marker for disease severity.

Area of Science:

  • Endocrinology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Critical Care Medicine

Background:

  • Glucose dysregulation is common in hospitalized patients.
  • The impact of glucose variability on COVID-19 outcomes requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the association between glucose coefficient of variation (CV) and mortality and disease severity in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective cohort study of 565 COVID-19 patients.
  • Patients stratified by diabetes mellitus (DM) status and quartiles of glucose CV.
  • Outcomes included length of stay and in-hospital mortality.

Main Results:

  • Higher glucose CV was initially associated with longer hospitalization and mortality in patients with DM.
  • Adjustments for comorbidities and laboratory markers attenuated these associations.
  • The association between glucose CV and adverse outcomes disappeared after full adjustment.

Conclusions:

  • While glucose CV may initially appear linked to COVID-19 severity, this association is confounded by other clinical factors.
  • Glucose CV's utility as an independent marker for mortality and severity in COVID-19 is questionable after comprehensive adjustment.
Abstract

Related Concept Videos

Glucose Homeostasis: Regulation of Blood Glucose01:02

Glucose Homeostasis: Regulation of Blood Glucose

Carbohydrates consumed through foods are converted into glucose, a crucial energy source for the body. In the prandial state, high blood glucose levels stimulate the secretion of insulin from the pancreas. Insulin inhibits hepatic glucose production and stimulates glucose uptake and metabolism by muscle and adipose tissue. The excess glucose is converted into glycogen and stored in the liver and muscles.
During fasting, when blood glucose levels are low, the pancreas secretes glucagon. it...
2.2K
Overview of Carbohydrate Metabolism01:19

Overview of Carbohydrate Metabolism

Carbohydrate metabolism is a fundamental biochemical process that ensures a constant supply of energy to living cells. The most important carbohydrate is glucose, which can be broken down via glycolysis to enter into the Krebs cycle and eventually lead to the production of ATP through oxidative phosphorylation.
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...
1.5K
Variability: Analysis01:11

Variability: Analysis

Measures of variability are statistical metrics that reveal the dispersion pattern within a dataset. They are pivotal in biostatistics, providing insights into the heterogeneity within health and biological data. Variability signifies the degree to which data points diverge from one another, helping researchers understand the potential range of values and associated uncertainty within the data.
The range is a simple measure of variability, indicating the difference between the highest and...
181
Hypoglycemia and Glucagon01:15

Hypoglycemia and Glucagon

Without prolonged fasting, healthy individuals maintain blood glucose levels above 3.5 mM due to a well-adapted neuroendocrine counterregulatory system that effectively prevents acute hypoglycemia, a potentially life-threatening condition. The primary clinical scenarios for hypoglycemia encompass diabetes treatment, inappropriate production of endogenous insulin or insulin-like substances by tumors, and the use of glucose-lowering agents in non-diabetic individuals. Notably, hypoglycemia in the...
314
Hormones Regulating Blood Glucose01:16

Hormones Regulating Blood Glucose

Insulin is released by beta cells of the pancreas when blood glucose levels are high. It facilitates glucose absorption and utilization in insulin-dependent cells with insulin receptors on their plasma membranes. Insulin promotes glucose uptake by increasing the number of glucose transport proteins in the cell membrane, allowing glucose to enter the cell. As a result, glucose utilization and ATP production are enhanced.
In addition to accelerating glucose uptake and utilization, insulin has...
3.7K
Glucose Homeostasis: Pancreatic Islets and Insulin Secretion01:27

Glucose Homeostasis: Pancreatic Islets and Insulin Secretion

The pancreatic islets comprising only 1%-2% of the volume are highly vascularized and innervated mini-organs. They contain five endocrine cell types, including β cells that secrete insulin, which is synthesized as a single polypeptide chain, preproinsulin, processed to proinsulin, and finally to insulin and C-peptide. This process is complex and regulated, involving the Golgi complex, the endoplasmic reticulum, and the secretory granules of the β cell.
Insulin and C-peptide are...
1.4K