Blood Glucose Levels and Mortality in Patients With Sepsis: Dose-Response Analysis of Observational Studies

Connection between Impaired Fasting Glucose or Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Sepsis: A 10-Year Observational Data from the National Health Screening Cohort

BACKGRUOUND

The mortality of sepsis without direct drugs is high. The association between prediabetes, based on a single fasting glucose (FG), or long-term type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and sepsis remains unclear.

METHODS

Of the adults aged ≥20 years who were included in the National Health Screening Program (NHSP) in 2009, 40% were randomly sampled. After excluding patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus, with missing information, and who were diagnosed with sepsis during the wash-out (between 2001 and the NHSP) or 1-year lag period, a cohort comprised of 3,863,323 examinees. Body mass index (BMI) measurements, FG tests, and self-reported questionnaires on health-related behaviors were conducted. Individual information was followed up until 2020 and censored upon the first occurrence of sepsis or death. The incidence of sepsis was compared using a multivariable regression adjusted for age, sex, income, BMI, smoking, drinking, physical activity levels, and chronic diseases.

RESULTS

The cohort was divided into those with normal FG (n=2,675,476), impaired fasting glucose (IFG) (n=890,402, 23.0%), T2DM <5 years (n=212,391, 5.5%), or T2DM for ≥5 years (n=85,054, 2.2%). The groups with IFG (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.03; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01 to 1.05), T2DM <5 years (aHR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.40 to 1.47), and T2DM for ≥5 years (aHR, 1.82; 95% CI, 1.77 to 1.87) exhibited significantly higher incidence of sepsis (P<0.001), with the greatest risk in patients with T2DM aged <40 years (aHR, 1.96; 95% CI, 1.71 to 2.25).

CONCLUSION

Patients with long-standing and young-onset T2DM show a substantially high risk of sepsis, emphasizing the need for infection prevention and vaccination.

Novel Identification of CD74 as a Biomarker for Diagnosing and Prognosing Sepsis Patients

Purpose

Sepsis, a life-threatening inflammatory condition due to an imbalanced response to infections, has been a major concern. Necroptosis, a newly discovered programmed cell death form, plays a crucial role in various inflammatory diseases. Our study aims to identify necroptosis - related genes (NRGs) and explore their potential for sepsis diagnosis.

Patients and methods

We used weighted gene co-expression network analysis to identify gene modules associated with sepsis. Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier methods were employed to assess the diagnostic and prognostic value of these genes. Single-cell and immune infiltration analyses were carried out to explore the immune environment in sepsis. Plasma CD74 protein levels were quantified in our samples, and relevant clinical data from electronic patient records were analyzed for correlation.

Results

CD74 was identified through the intersection of the hub genes of sepsis and NRGs related modules. Septic patients had lower CD74 expression compared to healthy controls. The CD74-based diagnostic model showed better performance in the training dataset (AUC, 0.79 [95% CI, 0.75-0.84]), was cross-validated in external datasets, and demonstrated better performances than other published diagnostic models. Pathway analysis and single-cell profiling supported further exploration of CD74-related inflammation and immune response in sepsis.

Conclusion

This study presents the first quantitative assessment of human plasma CD74 in sepsis patients. CD74 levels were significantly lower in the sepsis cohort. CD74 warrants further exploration as a potential prognostic and therapeutic target for sepsis.

Association between optimum blood glucose level and mortality in critically ill patients with septic shock: A real-world time-series data analysis

BACKGROUND

Sepsis remains a significant health challenge in ICU, with septic shock requiring meticulous glycaemic management due to metabolic dysregulation. Existing research highlights the detrimental effects of both hyperglycaemia and hypoglycaemia on septic patient outcomes, emphasizing the need for effective glycaemic control. Despite extensive studies, optimal glycaemic targets in septic shock patients remain contentious and unclear, necessitating further research.

AIM

Our study aims to identify optimal glycaemic targets for patients in septic shock by analysing time-series blood glucose data.

STUDY DESIGN

This retrospective observational study utilized the MIMIC-IV database, encompassing ICU patients diagnosed with septic shock from 2008 to 2019. We extracted time-series blood glucose data and applied the Stineman interpolation to achieve a standardized resolution. The primary analysis involved calculating the time-weighted average blood glucose (TWA-BG) and examining its relationship with 28-day mortality using a restricted cubic spline model within a Cox regression framework. Sensitivity analyses with multiple models and subgroup analyses were used to reveal the robustness of the results.

RESULTS

From 34 677 identified septic patients, 11 375 met the inclusion criteria. The optimal TWA-BG range, associated with the lowest 28-day mortality risk, was determined to be 105 to 131 mg/dL. Patients within this range exhibited significantly lower mortality rates compared to those with higher or lower TWA-BG levels. Sensitivity analyses confirmed these findings, indicating robustness across various subgroups and analytical models.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that maintaining TWA-BG levels between 105 and 131 mg/dL minimizes the risk of 28-day, ICU, and in-hospital mortality in patients with septic shock.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

The results provide evidence-based guidance for ICU nursing interventions, advocating for a precise TWA-BG range to be maintained for septic shock patients, thus potentially setting new benchmarks for glycaemic control in critical care settings.

Non-histone lactylation: unveiling its functional significance

Lactylation, a newly discovered protein posttranslational modification (PTM) in 2019, primarily occurs on lysine residues. Lactylation of histones was initially identified, and subsequent studies have increasingly demonstrated its widespread presence on non-histone proteins. Recently, high-throughput proteomics studies have identified a large number of lactylated proteins and sites, revealing their global regulatory role in disease development. Notably, this modification is catalyzed by lactyltransferase and reversed by delactylase, with numerous new enzymes, such as AARS1/2, reported to be involved. Specifically, these studies have revealed how lactylation exerts its influence through alterations in protein spatial conformation, molecular interactions, enzyme activity and subcellular localization. Indeed, lactylation is implicated in various physiological and pathological processes, including tumor development, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, immune cell activation and psychiatric disorders. This review provides the latest advancements in research on the regulatory roles of non-histone protein lactylation, highlighting its crucial scientific importance for future studies.

Impact of the triglyceride-glucose index on 28-day mortality in non-diabetic critically Ill patients with sepsis: a retrospective cohort analysis

INTRODUCTION

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that poses a globally high mortality rate. Identifying risk factors is crucial. Insulin resistance and the TYG index, associated with metabolic disorders, may play a role. This study explores their correlation with mortality in non-diabetic septic patients.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study used data from the MIMIC-IV (version 2.1) database, which includes over 50,000 ICU admissions from 2008 to 2019 at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. We included adult patients with sepsis who were admitted to the intensive care unit in the study. The primary outcome was to evaluate the ability of TYG to predict death at 28-day of hospital admission in patients with sepsis.

RESULTS

The study included 2213 patients with sepsis, among whom 549 (24.8%) died within 28 days of hospital admission. We observed a non-linear association between TYG and the risk of mortality. Compared to the reference group (lower TYG subgroup), the 28-day mortality increased in the higher TYG subgroup, with a fully adjusted hazard ratio of 2.68 (95% CI: 2.14 to 3.36). The area under the curve (AUC) for TYG was 67.7%, higher than for triglycerides alone (AUC = 64.1%), blood glucose (AUC = 62.4%), and GCS (AUC = 63.6%), and comparable to SOFA (AUC = 69.3%). The final subgroup analysis showed no significant interaction between TYG and each subgroup except for the COPD subgroup (interaction P-values: 0.076-0.548).

CONCLUSION

In our study, TYG can be used as an independent predictor for all-cause mortality due to sepsis within 28 days of hospitalization.

Triglyceride-glucose index and clinical outcomes in sepsis: A retrospective cohort study of MIMIC-IV

Although accumulating researches were done for investigating the relationship between triglyceride-glucose index (TyG index) and different diseases, none of the researches have been made in sepsis yet. In this study, we aimed to explore the relationship between TyG index and clinical outcomes in sepsis based on a large critical care public database. Sepsis patients in Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV (MIMIC-IV) Database were included. The exposure was TyG index, which was calculated by the equation: ln (TG (mg/dL) × FBG (mg/dL)/2). The outcomes were in-hospital mortality and 1-year mortality. The relationship between TyG index and outcomes was performed by Cox regression analysis. Smooth fitting curves were constructed by using generalized additive model. Kaplan-Meier analyses for cumulative hazard of 1-year mortality in different groups were done. 1103 sepsis patients were included with a median TyG index of 9.78. The mortalities of in-hospital and 1-year were 37.53% (n = 414) and 42.25% (n = 466), respectively. After adjusting confounders, there was a significantly negative relationship between TyG index and mortalities of in-hospital and 1-year. With the per unit increment in TyG index, the risk of in-hospital and 1-year mortality both decreased by 21% (HR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.66-0.94, p = 0.0086 and HR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.66-0.94, p = 0.0080, respectively). A negative relationship between TyG index and clinical outcomes in sepsis was found.

Inflammatory liver diseases and susceptibility to sepsis

Patients with inflammatory liver diseases, particularly alcohol-associated liver disease and metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), have higher incidence of infections and mortality rate due to sepsis. The current focus in the development of drugs for MAFLD is the resolution of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and prevention of progression to cirrhosis. In patients with cirrhosis or alcoholic hepatitis, sepsis is a major cause of death. As the metabolic center and a key immune tissue, liver is the guardian, modifier, and target of sepsis. Septic patients with liver dysfunction have the highest mortality rate compared with other organ dysfunctions. In addition to maintaining metabolic homeostasis, the liver produces and secretes hepatokines and acute phase proteins (APPs) essential in tissue protection, immunomodulation, and coagulation. Inflammatory liver diseases cause profound metabolic disorder and impairment of energy metabolism, liver regeneration, and production/secretion of APPs and hepatokines. Herein, the author reviews the roles of (1) disorders in the metabolism of glucose, fatty acids, ketone bodies, and amino acids as well as the clearance of ammonia and lactate in the pathogenesis of inflammatory liver diseases and sepsis; (2) cytokines/chemokines in inflammatory liver diseases and sepsis; (3) APPs and hepatokines in the protection against tissue injury and infections; and (4) major nuclear receptors/signaling pathways underlying the metabolic disorders and tissue injuries as well as the major drug targets for inflammatory liver diseases and sepsis. Approaches that focus on the liver dysfunction and regeneration will not only treat inflammatory liver diseases but also prevent the development of severe infections and sepsis.

Association between blood culture turnaround time and clinical prognosis in emergency department patients with community acquired bloodstream infection: A retrospective study based on electronic medical records

Importance

Previous investigations have found that time to positive blood culture (TTP) is a prognostic factor for clinical outcomes. In fact, what the emergency physician sees from the medical information system is TAT (turnaround time) defined as time required to post a bacterial culture report. We propose a definition of blood culture TAT that more closely aligns with clinical considerations by measuring the time from starting specimen culture to the release of an official blood culture report.We were curious to know whether the duration of TAT is as intricately linked to the prognosis of bacteremia as TTP.

Objectives

To examine the association between TAT and outcomes of adult patients who present to the ED with community acquired bacteremia.

Design

Setting, and Participants: This retrospective study utilized electronic medical records from Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital (KVGH), a 1000-bed tertiary medical center in Taiwan. Patients were adults aged 18 years and older who presented to ED (Emergency department) for initial diagnosis of community acquired bacteremia from January 1, 2016 to March 31, 2021. Data analysis was performed from December 2022 to January 2023.Main outcomes and measures.The primary outcomes included mortality in the ED, all-cause in-hospital mortality, length of hospital stay, and all-cause 30-day mortality in relation to the individual first report of positive blood culture TAT.

Results

A total of 4011 eligible patients with bacteremia were evaluated, of which 207 patients had a blood culture TAT of ≤48 h. The overall 30-day all-cause mortality rate was 13%. Contrary to expectation, no statistically significant differences were observed in clinical prognosis between the TAT groups (≤48 versus >48 h). Subgroup analyses indicated that the length of TAT did not have a significant effect on clinical prognosis in patients who underwent lactate level assessment. Furthermore, no difference in clinical outcome was noted between TAT groups (≤48 versus >48 h) in terms of Gram-negative bacilli or Gram-positive cocci bacteremia. However, in patients with delayed antibiotic treatment (>3 h), a shorter TAT was significantly associated with a fatal outcome.

Conclusion

In adults with community-acquired bacteremia, this study did not observe a significant association between blood culture TAT and clinical prognosis, except in cases of delayed antibiotic treatment.

Glycemic variability and mortality in oncologic intensive care units

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate the association between glycemic variability and mortality in patients admitted to oncologic intensive care units.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort study was conducted using a convenience sample of 30 medical records of patients over 18 years of age of both sexes. Glycemic variability was measured using the standard deviation and general amplitude. Statistical analysis was performed using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and the area under the curve (AUC). The significance level (α) was set at 5% with a confidence interval (CI) of 95%.

RESULTS

The study included 14 male patients (46.67%) with a mean age of 60±15 years. A total of 1503 blood glucose samples were collected. The AUC analysis for the standard deviation did not show a statistically significant result (p=.966; 95% CI=[0.283, 0.726]). In contrast, the general amplitude had a statistically significant association with mortality (p=.049; 95% CI=[0.514, 0.916]).

CONCLUSIONS

This study found that glycemic variability measured by the general amplitude was significantly associated with patient mortality in oncologic intensive care units. These findings suggest that monitoring glycemic variability may be an important factor in the management of critically ill patients in oncologic intensive care units.

Prognostic Value of Serum Glucose Level in Critically Ill Septic Patients on Admission to Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Background

Sepsis is one of the major causes of admission to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), as well as a primary cause of poor outcomes. Glycemic variation may occur because of sepsis resulting in either hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia. Measuring the random blood glucose (RBG) level of patients presenting with sepsis in PICU is an easy way to assess their prognosis.

Objectives

A prospective study was done from February 2023 to June 2023 to evaluate the relation between the outcome of pediatric septic patients and blood glucose level upon PICU admission.

Patients and methods

One hundred three children diagnosed with sepsis underwent clinical assessment upon admission to the PICU and initial labs including blood glucose levels were done. Pediatric Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (pSOFA) was calculated for every patient. The outcome of sepsis including length of stay, review of body systems, and mortality was documented.

Results

Hypoglycemic patients had the highest percentage of non-survivors (20.4%). They had a higher pSOFA score with a median of 11 (interquartile range-IQR 7-15), shorter PICU stay with a median of 2 (IQR 1-6) days, lower RBG with a median of 95 (45-120), a higher percentage of ventilation (55.1%), and a higher percentage of inotropic support (87.8%) with statistical significance with p-value (< 0.001, < 0.001, 0.001, < 0.001, 0.002), respectively.

Conclusion

Critically ill patients with abnormal random blood sugar (RBS) had a higher possibility of non-survival particularly those with hypoglycemia. Accordingly, RBS measurement is a rapid and cheap method that could be used in any emergency and as an early indicator to detect outcome.

How to cite this article

Mohamed AO, Abd El-Megied MA, Hosni YA. Prognostic Value of Serum Glucose Level in Critically Ill Septic Patients on Admission to Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. Indian J Crit Care Med 2023;27(10):754-758.

Development and Validation of a Prognostic Model for Multi-Drug-Resistant Non-Hospital-Acquired Bloodstream Infection

Bloodstream infections (BSI) are an increasing cause of admissions to hospitals. Non-hospital-acquired BSI are defined by blood cultures that are positive less than 48 hours after admission, but a relevant difference exists between community-acquired and healthcare-associated (HCA) BSI in terms of risk of multidrug resistance (MDR). We planned a retrospective study in three different cohorts in order to develop and to temporally and spatially validate an easy and rapid prognostic model for identifying MDR non-hospital-acquired (non-HA) BSI. The pathogens most involved in BSI are Staphylococcus spp. and Escherichia coli, responsible for about 75% of all MDR isolated. The model includes age, gender, long-term care facility admission, immunocompromise, any recent invasive procedures and central line placement, recent intravenous treatment and antibiotic treatment. It shows an acceptable performance, especially for intermediate probabilities of MDR infection, with a C-index of 70%. The model was proposed in a nomogram that could allow better targeting of antibiotic therapy for non-HA BSI admitted in hospital. However, it should be further validated to determine its applicability in other populations.

Application of Machine Learning for Clinical Subphenotype Identification in Sepsis

INTRODUCTION

Sepsis is a heterogeneous clinical syndrome. Identification of sepsis subphenotypes could lead to allowing more precise therapy. However, there is a lack of models to identify the subphenotypes in such patients. Thus, we aimed to identify possible subphenotypes and compare the clinical outcomes for subphenotypes in a large sepsis cohort.

METHODS

This machine learning-based, cluster analysis was performed using the Medical Information Mart in Intensive Care (MIMIC)-IV database. We enrolled all adult (> 18 years old) patients diagnosed with sepsis in the first 24 h after intensive care unit (ICU) admission. K-means cluster analysis was performed to identify the number of classes. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate the association between sepsis subphenotypes and in-hospital mortality.

RESULTS

A total of 8817 participants with sepsis were enrolled. The median age was 66.8 (IQR, 55.9-77.1) years, and 38.1% (3361/8817) were female. Two subphenotypes resulted in optimal separation including 11 routinely available clinical variables obtained during the first 24 h after ICU admission. Participants in subphenotype B showed higher levels of lactate, glucose and creatinine, white blood cell count, sodium and heart rate and lower body temperature, platelet count, systolic blood pressure, hemoglobin and PaO₂/FiO₂ ratio. In addition, the in-hospital mortality in patients with subphenotype B was significantly higher than that in subphenotype A (29.4% vs. 8.5%, P < 0.001). The difference was still significant after adjustment for potential covariates (adjusted OR 2.214; 95% CI 1.780-2.754, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Two sepsis subphenotypes with different clinical outcomes could be rapidly identified using the K-means clustering analysis based on routinely available clinical data. This finding may help clinicians to identify the subphenotype rapidly at the bedside.

Exercise Oximetry Correlates Better With Exercise-Induced Lactate Increase, than Ankle Brachial Index or Walking Time, in Vascular Claudicants

In claudication, the correlation between walking-induced biomarkers and indices of clinical severity (e.g., walking distance or ankle brachial index (ABI)), is fair. We hypothesized that a correlation would be observed between the clinical estimation of ischemia severity with exercise transcutaneous oximetry (Ex-TcpO2) and lactate increase. A prospective study was performed among 377 patients with arterial claudication. We recorded age, sex, ABI, body mass index (BMI), systolic arterial blood pressure (SBP), and glycemia. Capillary blood lactate was measured at rest and 3 min after a constant load treadmill test. We recorded maximum walking time (MWT), heart rate (HRmax), the sum of minimal decrease from oxygen values for buttocks, thighs and calves Ex-TcpO2 (DROPmin), as well as the amplitude of chest-TcpO2 decrease. A multilinear regression model was used to assess the variables associated with lactate increase. BMI, SBP, HRmax, the amplitude of decrease in chest-TcpO2 and DROPmin, but not age, sex, ABI, MWT, diabetes mellitus nor glycemia, were significantly associated to lactate increase in the model. Because it accounts for the severity and diffusion of lower-limb exercise-induced ischemia and detects exercise induced hypoxemia, TcpO2 may be preferable to ABI or MWT to estimate the metabolic consequences of walking in claudicants.

Correlation Analysis of Blood Glucose Level with Inflammatory Response and Immune Indicators in Patients with Sepsis

Objective

To analyze the correlation of blood glucose level with inflammatory response and immune indicators in patients with sepsis.

Methods

Between February 2019 and February 2021, 30 sepsis patients and 30 sepsis patients complicated with diabetes mellitus admitted to our hospital were recruited and assigned to either the experimental group (sepsis patients) or the observation group (sepsis patients with diabetes mellitus). Another 30 healthy subjects in the same period were included as the control group. The levels of IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1β, CD4+, and CD8+ in the three groups of patients were compared to analyze the correlation of blood glucose levels with inflammatory response and immune indicators in patients with sepsis. The difference of counting data was analyzed using the chi-square test, and the difference of measurement data was analyzed using the t-test.

Results

The control group showed the lowest levels of IL-6 at 14.32 ± 4.98 pg/ml, followed by 18.33 ± 3.27 pg/ml in the experimental group and then 22.64 ± 5.16 pg/ml in the observation group (P < 0.05). The levels of other inflammatory factors including TNF-α and IL-1β were the lowest in the control group, followed by the experimental group, and then the observation group (P < 0.05). The lowest immune function indicator CD4+ and CD8+ levels were found in the observation group, followed by the experimental group, and then the control group (P < 0.05). The blood glucose level of patients with sepsis was positively correlated with the levels of IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1β and was negatively correlated with the levels of CD4+/CD8+. The higher the blood glucose, the lower the number of immune cells.

Conclusion

The blood glucose level of patients with sepsis is positively correlated with inflammatory response and negatively with immune indicators. An increased blood sugar level is associated with aggravated inflammatory responses and a decreased number of immune cells, which provides a reference for the disease severity assessment and treatment of patients with sepsis.

Association of Blood Glucose Level and Glycemic Variability With Mortality in Sepsis Patients During ICU Hospitalization

Background

There was considerable debate regarding the effect of mean blood glucose (MBG) and glycemic variability (GV) on the mortality of septic patients. This retrospective cohort study aimed to assess the association between MBG and GV with ICU mortality of sepsis patients and to explore the optimal MBG range.

Methods

Sepsis patients were enrolled from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV database (MIMIC-IV). MBG and glycemic coefficient of variation (GluCV) were, respectively, calculated to represent the overall glycemic status and GV during ICU stay. The associations between MBG, GluCV, and ICU mortality of the septic patients were assessed by using multivariate logistic regression in different subgroups and the severity of sepsis. Restricted cubic splines evaluated the optimal MBG target.

Results

A total of 7,104 adult sepsis patients were included. The multivariate logistic regression results showed that increased MBG and GluCV were significantly correlated with ICU mortality. The adjusted odds ratios were 1.14 (95% CI 1.09-1.20) and 1.05 (95% CI 1.00-1.12). However, there was no association between hyperglycemia and ICU mortality among diabetes, liver disease, immunosuppression, and hypoglycemia patients. And the impact of high GluCV on ICU mortality was not observed in those with diabetes, immunosuppression, liver disease, and non-septic shock. The ICU mortality risk of severe hyperglycemia (≧200 mg/dl) and high GluCV (>31.429%), respectively, elevated 2.30, 3.15, 3.06, and 2.37, 2.79, 3.14-folds in mild (SOFA ≦ 3), middle (SOFA 3-7), and severe group (SOFA ≧ 7). The MBG level was associated with the lowest risk of ICU mortality and hypoglycemia between 120 and 140 mg/dl in the subgroup without diabetes. For the diabetic subset, the incidence of hypoglycemia was significantly reduced when the MBG was 140-190 mg/dl, but a glycemic control target effectively reducing ICU mortality was not observed.

Conclusion

MBG and GluCV during the ICU stay were associated with all-cause ICU mortality in sepsis patients; however, their harms are not apparent in some particular subgroups. The impact of hyperglycemia and high GV on death increased with the severity of sepsis. The risk of ICU mortality and hypoglycemia in those with no pre-existing diabetes was lower when maintaining the MBG in the range of 120-140 mg/dl.

Stationäre Patienten mit der Nebendiagnose Diabetes mellitus: klinische Relevanz

In deutschen Krankenhäusern werden jährlich etwa 3 Mio. Patienten mit Diabetes stationär behandelt, davon 93 % nicht wegen, sondern mit dieser Erkrankung. In einzelnen Fachabteilungen liegt bei bis zu 40 % der Patienten die Nebendiagnose Diabetes vor. Sie haben oft eine relevante Komorbidität und im Vergleich zu Krankenhauspatienten ohne Diabetes eine längere stationäre Verweildauer, entwickeln deutlich häufiger Komplikationen und müssen öfter kurzfristig wieder aufgenommen werden. In dieser Übersicht wird die klinische Relevanz der Nebendiagnose Diabetes mellitus für Krankenhauspatienten besprochen.

In COVID-19, NLRP3 inflammasome genetic variants are associated with critical disease and these effects are partly mediated by the sickness symptom complex: a nomothetic network approach

In coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the nucleotide-binding domain, leucine-rich repeat and pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome is activated in response to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Acute infections are accompanied by a sickness symptom complex (SSC) which is highly conserved and protects against infections and hyperinflammation. The aim of this study is to delineate the associations of COVID-19, SSC and NLPR3 rs10157379 T > C and NLPR3 rs10754558 C > G variants; and the protective role of SSC in SARS-CoV-2 infection. We recruited COVID-19 patients, 308 with critical, 63 with moderate and 157 with mild disease. Increased SSC protects against SARS, critical disease, and death due to COVID-19. Increasing age, male sex and rs10754558 CG significantly reduce SSC protection. The rs10157379 CT and rs10754558 GG genotypes are positively associated with SARS. Partial Least Squares analysis shows that a) 41.8% of the variance in critical COVID-19 symptoms is explained by SSC and oxygen saturation (inversely associated), inflammation, chest computed tomography abnormalities, increased body mass index, SARS and age (positively associated); and b) the effects of the NLRP3 rs10157379 and rs10754558 variants on critical COVID-19 are mediated via SSC (protective) and SARS (detrimental). SSC includes anosmia and dysgeusia, and maybe gastrointestinal symptoms. In conclusion, intersections among the rs10754558 variant, age, and sex increase risk towards critical COVID-19 by attenuating SSC. NLRP3 variants play an important role in SARS, and severe and critical COVID-19 especially in elderly male individuals with reduced SSC and with increased BMI, hypertension, and diabetes type 2.

Stress Hyperglycemia and Mortality in Subjects With Diabetes and Sepsis

Objectives:

Poor glycemic control is associated with mortality in critical patients with diabetes. The aim of the study was to assess the predicting value of stress hyperglycemia in patients with diabetes following hospital admission for sepsis.

Design:

Retrospective observational study.

Setting:

Adult, emergency department, and critical care in a district hospital.

Patients:

In a 10-year retrospective analysis of sepsis-related hospitalizations in the emergency department, we carried out a secondary analysis of 915 patients with diabetes (males, 54.0%) in whom both fasting glucose at entry and glycosylated hemoglobin were available.

Interventions:

None.

Measurements and Main Results:

Patients’ mean age was 79.0 (sd 11.0), glucose at admission was 174.0 mg/dL (74.3 mg/dL), and glycosylated hemoglobin was 7.7% (1.7%). Stress hyperglycemia was defined by the stress hyperglycemia ratio, that is, fasting glucose concentration at admission divided by the estimated average glucose derived from glycosylated hemoglobin. A total of 305 patients died (33.3%) in hospital. Factors associated with in-hospital case fatality rate were tested by multivariable logistic model. Ten variables predicting outcomes in the general population were confirmed in the presence of diabetes (male sex, older age, number of organ dysfunction diagnoses, in particular cardiovascular dysfunction, infection/parasitic, circulatory, respiratory, digestive diseases diagnosis, and Charlson Comorbidity Index). In addition, also glycemic control (glycosylated hemoglobin: odds ratio, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.15–1.40) and stress hyperglycemia (stress hyperglycemia ratio: 5.25; 3.62–7.63) were significant case fatality rate predictors. High stress hyperglycemia ratio (≥ 1.14) significantly increased the discriminant capacity (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.864; se, 0.013; p < 0.001).

Conclusions:

Stress hyperglycemia, even in the presence of diabetes, is predictive of mortality following admission for sepsis. Stress hyperglycemia ratio may be used to refine prediction of an unfavorable outcome.