Evaluation and management of COVID-19-related severity in people with type 2 diabetes
Bowen Wang, Benjamin S Glicksberg, Girish N Nadkarni, Dr Deepak Vashishth
BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care, doi:10.1136/bmjdrc-2021-002299
Introduction People with type 2 diabetes (T2D) have an increased rate of hospitalization and mortality related to COVID-19. To identify ahead of time those who are at risk of developing severe diseases and potentially in need of intensive care, we investigated the independent associations between longitudinal glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), the impact of common medications (metformin, insulin, ACE inhibitors (ACEIs), angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), and corticosteroids) and COVID-19 severity in people with T2D. Research design and methods Retrospective cohort study was conducted using deidentified claims and electronic health record data from the OptumLabs Data Warehouse across the USA between January 2017 and November 2020, including 16 504 individuals with T2D and COVID-19. A univariate model and a multivariate model were applied to evaluate the association between 2 and 3-year HbA1c average, medication use between COVID-19 diagnosis and intensive care unit admission (if applicable), and risk of intensive care related to COVID-19. Results With covariates adjusted, the HR of longitudinal HbA1c for risk of intensive care was 1.12 (per 1% increase, p<0.001) and 1.48 (comparing group with poor (HbA1c ≥9%) and adequate glycemic control (HbA1c 6%-9%), p<0.001). The use of corticosteroids and the combined use of insulin and metformin were associated with significant reduction of intensive care risk, while ACEIs and ARBs were not associated with reduced risk of intensive care. Conclusions Two to three-year longitudinal glycemic level is independently associated with COVID-19-related severity in people with T2D. Here, we present a potential method to use HbA1c history, which presented a stronger association with COVID-19 severity than single-point HbA1c, to identify in advance those more at risk of intensive care due to COVID-19 in the T2D population. The combined use of metformin and insulin and the use of corticosteroids might be significant to prevent patients with T2D from becoming critically ill from COVID-19.
How might these results change the focus of research or clinical practice? ► The study emphasizes the importance of proper management glycemic level over longer period in reducing the risk of developing severe diseases from COVID-19. The method using HbA1c history could allow for personalized assessment and management of subsequent care related to COVID-19 in advance. copyright.
Competing interests None declared.
Patient consent for publication Not required. Ethics approval This study involves human participants, but the Institutional Review Board at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute exempted this study. Patient identifiers have been coded or removed prior to its release to the study investigators, such that it is compliant with HIPAA and exempt from Institutional Review Board review. Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed. Data availability statement Data may be obtained from a third party and are not publicly available. The data that support the findings of this study are available from OptumLabs Data Warehouse. Restrictions apply to the availability of these data, which were used under license for this study. Supplemental material This content has been supplied by the author(s). It has not been vetted by BMJ Publishing Group Limited (BMJ) and may not have been peer-reviewed. Any opinions or recommendations discussed are solely those of the author(s) and are not endorsed by BMJ. BMJ disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on the content. Where the content includes any translated material, BMJ does not warrant the accuracy and reliability of the translations (including but not limited to local regulations, clinical guidelines, terminology, drug names and drug dosages), and is not responsible for any error and/or omissions arising from translation and adaptation or otherwise.
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