Unexpectedly lower mortality rates in COVID-19 patients with and without type 2 diabetes in Istanbul.

Abstract

AIMS:

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a risk factor for severe COVID-19. Our aim was to compare the clinical outcomes of patients with and without T2DM during the first hit of COVID-19 in Istanbul.

METHODS:

A retrospective population-based study was conducted including all consecutive adult symptomatic COVID-19 cases. Patients were confirmed with rt-PCR; treated and monitored in accordance with standard protocols. The primary endpoints were hospitalization and 30-day mortality.

RESULTS:

Of the 93,571 patients, 22.6% had T2DM, with older age and higher BMI. Propensity Score matched evaluation resulted in significantly higher rates of hospitalization (1.5-fold), 30-day mortality (1.6-fold), and pneumonia (1.4-fold). They revealed more severe laboratory deviations, comorbidities, and frequent drug usage than the Non-DM group. In T2DM age, pneumonia, hypertension, obesity, and insulin-based therapies were associated with an increased likelihood of hospitalization; whereas age, male gender, lymphopenia, obesity, and insulin treatment were considerably associated with higher odds of death.

CONCLUSIONS:

COVID-19 patients with T2DM had worse clinical outcomes with higher hospitalization and 30-day mortality rates than those without diabetes. Compared to most territories of the world, COVID-19 mortality was much lower in Istanbul, which may be associated with accessible healthcare provision and the younger structure of the population.

• Authors: Ilhan Satman, Ibrahim Demirci, Cem Haymana, Ilker Tasci, Serpil Salman, Naim Ata, Selcuk Dagdelen, Ibrahim Sahin, Rifat Emral, Erman Cakal, Aysegul Atmaca, Mustafa Sahin, Osman Celik, Tevfik Demir, Derun Ertugrul, Ugur Unluturk, Kazim Yalcin Arga, Murat Caglayan, Alper Sonmez
• Journal: Diabetes research and clinical practice (Diabetes Res Clin Pract) Vol. 174 Pg. 108753 (Apr 2021) ISSN: 1872-8227 [Electronic] Ireland
• PMID: 33741352 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Topics

• Adult
• COVID-19 (mortality)
• Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 (mortality)
• Female
• Humans
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Retrospective Studies
• Risk Factors
• Survival Analysis
• Turkey (epidemiology)