COVID-19 Outcomes and Diabetes Mellitus: A Comprehensive Multicenter Prospective Cohort Study

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology
• Infectious Diseases
• Clinical Medicine

Background:

• Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is linked to severe COVID-19 outcomes.
• Optimal management of T2D patients during COVID-19 is a concern.
• Understanding treatment impacts on COVID-19 severity is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate clinical characteristics and outcomes of T2D patients hospitalized with COVID-19.
• Explore associations between chronic T2D treatments and adverse COVID-19 outcomes.
• Assess the impact of DPP4 inhibitors on severe COVID-19 outcomes in T2D patients.

Main Methods:

• Multicenter prospective cohort study.
• Inclusion of 354 T2D patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in Greece (February-June 2021).
• Analysis of clinical data, including in-hospital mortality, ICU admission, ARDS, and thromboembolic events, stratified by T2D treatment.

Main Results:

• 18.6% of T2D patients died during hospitalization; 16.4% required ICU admission.
• DPP4 inhibitor use was associated with increased risk of in-hospital death (adj. OR 2.639).
• DPP4 inhibitors linked to higher odds of ICU admission (adj. OR 2.524), ARDS (adj. OR 2.507), and thromboembolic events (adj. OR 2.249).

Conclusions:

• DPP4 inhibitor use in T2D patients may increase the risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes.
• Findings underscore the need to consider T2D treatment regimens in COVID-19 management.
• Further research is required to elucidate the mechanisms underlying these associations.