Impact of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus on the Incidence and Outcomes of COVID-19 Needing Hospital Admission According to Sex: Retrospective Cohort Study Using Hospital Discharge Data in Spain, Year 2020

Clinical characteristics and outcomes among hospitalised COVID-19 patients across epidemic waves in Spain: An unCoVer analysis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact in population health worldwide, and particularly in people with pre-existing chronic diseases. Early risk identification and stratification is essential to reduce the impact of future outbreaks of pandemic potential. This study aimed to comprehensively examine factors associated with COVID-19 mortality across the pandemic waves in Spain.

METHODS

A retrospective study analyzed the characteristics of 13,974 patients admitted to Spanish hospitals due to SARS-CoV-2 infection from 2020-01-28 to 2022-12-31. The demographic and clinical features of patients during hospitalization on each pandemic waves were analyzed.

MAIN FINDINGS

The findings highlight the heterogeneity of patient characteristics, comorbidities and outcomes, across the waves. The high prevalence of cardiometabolic diseases (53.9%) among COVID-19 patients emphasizes the importance of controlling these risk factors to prevent severe COVID-19 outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

In summary, the study associate hospital mortality with factors such as advanced age and comorbidities. The decline in mortality after the 4th wave indicates potential influences like vaccination, viral adaptation, or improved treatments. Notably, dementia and cancer metastases emerge as critical factors linked to higher mortality, highlighting the importance of addressing these conditions in COVID-19 management and preparing for future challenges.

Understanding molecular mechanisms and miRNA-based targets in diabetes foot ulcers

In today's culture, obesity and overweight are serious issues that have an impact on how quickly diabetes develops and how it causes complications. For the development of more effective therapies, it is crucial to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying the chronic problems of diabetes. The most prominent effects of diabetes are microvascular abnormalities such as retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy, especially diabetes foot ulcers, as well as macrovascular abnormalities such as heart disease and atherosclerosis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), which are highly conserved endogenous short non-coding RNA molecules, have been implicated in several physiological functions recently, including the earliest stages of the disease. By binding to particular messenger RNAs (mRNAs), which cause mRNA degradation, translation inhibition, or even gene activation, it primarily regulates posttranscriptional gene expression. These molecules exhibit considerable potential as diagnostic biomarkers for disease and are interesting treatment targets. This review will provide an overview of the latest findings on the key functions that miRNAs role in diabetes and its complications, with an emphasis on the various stages of diabetic wound healing.

Temporal trends and outcomes of heart transplantation in Spain (2002-2021): propensity score matching analysis to compare patients with and without type 2 diabetes

BACKGROUND

The impact of Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) on the outcomes of heart transplantation (HT) has not yet been clearly established. The objectives of this study were to examine the trends in the prevalence of T2D among individuals who underwent a HT in Spain from 2002 to 2021, and to compare the clinical characteristics and hospitalization outcomes between HT recipients with and without T2D.

METHODS

We used the national hospital discharge database to select HT recipients aged 35 and older. The International Classification of Diseases, Ninth and Tenth Revisions (ICD-9 and ICD-10) were used to identify patients with and without T2D. We also recorded comorbidities, complications of HT, and procedures. Propensity score matching (PSM) and Cox regression were used to analyze the effect of T2D on in-hospital mortality (IHM).

RESULTS

Between 2002 and 2021, a total of 4429 HTs (T2D, 19.14%) were performed in Spain. The number of HTs in patients with T2D decreased from 2002 to 2005 (n = 171) to 2014-2017 (n = 154), then rose during 2018-2021 (n = 186). Complications of HT increased in patients with and without T2D over the study period (26.9% and 31.31% in 2002-2005 vs. 42.47% and 45.01% in 2018-2021, respectively). The results of the PSM showed that pneumonia and Gram-negative bacterial infections were less frequent in patients with T2D and that these patients less frequently required hemodialysis, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), and tracheostomy. They also had a shorter hospital stay and lower IHM than patients without diabetes. The variables associated with IHM in patients with T2D were hemodialysis and ECMO. IHM decreased over time in people with and without T2D. The Cox regression analysis showed that T2D was associated with lower IHM (HR 0.77; 95% CI 0.63-0.98).

CONCLUSIONS

The number of HTs increased in the period 2018-2021 compared with 2002-2005 in patients with and without T2D. Over time, complications of HT increased in both groups studied, whereas IHM decreased. The presence of T2D is associated with lower IHM.

Risk phenotypes of diabetes and association with COVID-19 severity and death: an update of a living systematic review and meta-analysis

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS

To provide a systematic overview of the current body of evidence on high-risk phenotypes of diabetes associated with COVID-19 severity and death.

METHODS

This is the first update of our recently published living systematic review and meta-analysis. Observational studies investigating phenotypes in individuals with diabetes and confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection with regard to COVID-19-related death and severity were included. The literature search was conducted from inception up to 14 February 2022 in PubMed, Epistemonikos, Web of Science and the COVID-19 Research Database and updated using PubMed alert to 1 December 2022. A random-effects meta-analysis was used to calculate summary relative risks (SRRs) with 95% CIs. The risk of bias was evaluated using the Quality in Prognosis Studies (QUIPS) tool and the certainty of evidence using the GRADE approach.

RESULTS

A total of 169 articles (147 new studies) based on approximately 900,000 individuals were included. We conducted 177 meta-analyses (83 on COVID-19-related death and 94 on COVID-19 severity). Certainty of evidence was strengthened for associations between male sex, older age, blood glucose level at admission, chronic insulin use, chronic metformin use (inversely) and pre-existing comorbidities (CVD, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and COVID-19-related death. New evidence with moderate to high certainty emerged for the association between obesity (SRR [95% CI] 1.18 [1.04, 1.34], n=21 studies), HbA1c (53-75 mmol/mol [7-9%]: 1.18 [1.06, 1.32], n=8), chronic glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist use (0.83 [0.71, 0.97], n=9), pre-existing heart failure (1.33 [1.21, 1.47], n=14), pre-existing liver disease (1.40 [1.17, 1.67], n=6), the Charlson index (per 1 unit increase: 1.33 [1.13, 1.57], n=2), high levels of C-reactive protein (per 5 mg/l increase: 1.07 [1.02, 1.12], n=10), aspartate aminotransferase level (per 5 U/l increase: 1.28 [1.06, 1.54], n=5), eGFR (per 10 ml/min per 1.73 m2 increase: 0.80 [0.71, 0.90], n=6), lactate dehydrogenase level (per 10 U/l increase: 1.03 [1.01, 1.04], n=7) and lymphocyte count (per 1×109/l increase: 0.59 [0.40, 0.86], n=6) and COVID-19-related death. Similar associations were observed between risk phenotypes of diabetes and severity of COVID-19, with some new evidence on existing COVID-19  vaccination status (0.32 [0.26, 0.38], n=3), pre-existing hypertension (1.23 [1.14, 1.33], n=49), neuropathy and cancer, and high IL-6 levels. A limitation of this study is that the included studies are observational in nature and residual or unmeasured confounding cannot be ruled out.

CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION

Individuals with a more severe course of diabetes and pre-existing comorbidities had a poorer prognosis of COVID-19 than individuals with a milder course of the disease.

REGISTRATION

PROSPERO registration no. CRD42020193692.

PREVIOUS VERSION

This is a living systematic review and meta-analysis. The previous version can be found at https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00125-021-05458-8 FUNDING: The German Diabetes Center (DDZ) is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State North Rhine-Westphalia. This study was supported in part by a grant from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research to the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD).

Prevalence of Dementia among Patients Hospitalized with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Spain, 2011-2020: Sex-Related Disparities and Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic

(1) Background: To assess changes in the prevalence of dementia among patients hospitalized with type 2 diabetes (T2DM), to analyze the effects of dementia on in-hospital mortality (IHM) in this population, to evaluate sex differences, and to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on these parameters. (2) Methods: We used a nationwide discharge database to select all patients with T2DM aged 60 years or over admitted to Spanish hospitals from 2011 to 2020. We identified those with all-cause dementia, Alzheimer's disease (AD), and vascular dementia (VaD). The effect of sex, age, comorbidity, and COVID-19 on the prevalence of dementia subtypes and on IHM was assessed using multivariable logistic regression. (3) Results: We identified 5,250,810 hospitalizations with T2DM. All-cause dementia was detected in 8.31%, AD in 3.00%, and VaD in 1.55%. The prevalence of all subtypes of dementia increased significantly over time. After multivariable adjustment, higher values were observed in women for all-cause dementia (OR 1.34; 95% CI 1.33-1.35), AD (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.58-1.62), and VaD (OR 1.12; 95% CI 1.11-1.14). However, female sex was a protective factor for IHM in patients with all-cause dementia (OR 0.90; 95% CI 0.89-0.91), AD (OR 0.89; 95% CI 0.86-0.91), and VaD (OR 0.95; 95% CI 0.91-0.99). IHM among patients with dementia remained stable over time, until 2020, when it increased significantly. Higher age, greater comorbidity, and COVID-19 were associated with IHM in all dementia subtypes. (4) Conclusions: The prevalence of dementia (all-cause, AD, and VaD) in men and women with T2DM increased over time; however, the IHM remained stable until 2020, when it increased significantly, probably because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The prevalence of dementia is higher in women than in men, although female sex is a protective factor for IHM.

Analysis of risk factors for COVID-19-related fatal outcome in 337991 patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus in 2020–2022 years: Russian nationwide retrospective study

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus pandemic has had an extremely negative impact on the patients with diabetes mellitus (DM both in terms of a more severe course of COVID -19 and an increased risk of death.

AIM: Analysis of risk factors for death due to COVID -19 in patients with DM type 1 and type 2 (DM1 and DM2).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective analysis of the database of the national diabetes register (NDR), which included DM patients with COVID-19 and reported virus infection outcome (recovery/or death) in 15 712 DM1 and 322 279 DM2 patients during a 2-year follow-up period (01/02/2020 to 03/04/2022) (discharge date)).

RESULTS: Case fatality rate in patients with DM, who underwent COVID -19 was 17.1% (DM1–8.8%; DM2–17.5%). As a result of multivariate regression analysis of seven significant factors in DM1 and thirteen in DM2 (evaluated by univariate anlisys), a number of the most important predictors of risk for fatal outcome were identified: in DM1 these were age ≥65 years (OR =4.01, 95% CI: 1.42–11.36), presence of arterial hypertension (AH) (OR =2.72, 95% CI: 1.03 -7.16) and diabetic foot syndrome (DFS) (OR = 7.22, 95% CI: 1.98–26.29); for T2DM: age ≥ 65 years (OR =2.53, 95% CI: 1.96–3.27), male (OR =1.51, 95% CI: 1.23–1.84), duration DM ≥10 years (OR =2.01, 95% CI: 1.61–2.51), BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 (OR =1.26, 95% CI: 1.02–1.55), ASCVD/CKD (OR =1.49, 95% CI: 1.01–2.04), history of diabetic coma (OR =12.97, 95% CI: 1.89–88.99) and presence of disability ( OR =1.40, 95% CI: 1.14–1.73). In T2DM, the type of antidiabetic therapy (ADT) prior to COVID -19 (last visit before the development of infection) had a significant impact: Insulin therapy (OR = 1.64, 95% CI: 1.30–2.07), sulfonylureas (SU) (OR =1.51, 95% CI: 1.23–1.84)); dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor (iDPP-4) therapy (OR =0.57, 95% CI: 0.39–0.83) and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor (iSGLT2) therapy (OR =0.64, 95% CI: 0.46–0.88). Vaccination was the most important protective factor in both types of DM: DM1 OR =0.19, 95% CI: 0.06–0.59; SD2 OR =0.20, 95% CI: 0.16–0.26.

CONCLUSION: The common risk factor for fatal outcome in both DM1 and DM2 was age ≥65 years; in DM1 — history of hypertension and DFS, in DM2 — male sex, diabetes duration ≥10 years, BMI ≥30 kg/m2, history of ASCVD/CKD and diabetic coma, disability. In T2DM, significant differences in risk were observed depending on the type of ADT: insulin and SU therapy were factors that increased the risk of death, whereas therapy with iDPP-4 and iSGLT2 reduced the risk of death. Vaccination reduced the risk of death in DM1 and DM2 by 5.2 and 5-fold, respectively.