Diagnosis and Management Considerations in Steroid-Related Hyperglycemia in COVID-19: A Position Statement from the Endocrine Society of India

Control of blood glucose levels by an artificial pancreas in patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 pneumonia

BACKGROUND

Many patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia experience hyperglycemia. It is often difficult to control blood glucose (BG) levels in such patients using standard intravenous insulin infusion therapy. Therefore, we used an artificial pancreas. This study aimed to compare the BG status of the artificial pancreas with that of standard therapy.

METHODS

Fifteen patients were included in the study. BG values and the infusion speed of insulin and glucose by the artificial pancreas were collected. Arterial BG and administration rates of insulin, parenteral sugar, and enteral sugar were recorded during the artificial pancreas and standard therapy. The target BG level was 200 mg/dl.

RESULTS

Arterial BG was highly correlated with BG data from the artificial pancreas. A higher BG slightly increased the difference between the BG data from the artificial pancreas and arterial BS. No significant difference in arterial BG was observed between the artificial pancreas and standard therapy. However, the standard deviation with the artificial pancreas was smaller than that under standard therapy (p < 0.0001). More points within the target BG range were achieved with the artificial pancreas (180-220 mg/dl) than under standard therapy. The hyperglycemic index of the artificial pancreas (8.7 ± 15.6 mg/dl) was lower than that of standard therapy (16.0 ± 21.5 mg/dl) (p = 0.0387). No incidence of hypoglycemia occurred under the artificial pancreas.

CONCLUSIONS

The rate of achieving target BG was higher using artificial pancreas than with standard therapy. An artificial pancreas helps to control BG in critically ill patients.

Сarbohydrate metabolism disorders and their outcomes in the long-term period in hospitalized patients with COVID-19

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a predisposing factor for the development of many infectious complications. Numerous studies have demonstrated the association of hyperglycemia in patients having DM with a high risk of a more unfavorable course of COVID-19. However, hyperglycemia is often detected in patients with a COVID-19 not having anamnesis of DM. The following remains unclear: the etiological factors causing such disorders of carbohydrate metabolism, the persistence of these disorders and the characteristics of the course, as well as their comparative effect on the outcomes of COVID-19 and the further prognosis of patients.

AIM: To study the prevalence and nature of carbohydrate metabolism disorders in patients with moderate to severe course of COVID-19, as well as 6 months after it.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Hospitalized patients with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 of moderate and severe course of the disease were examined. There were no medical interventions outside recommendations of patient management. The observation was carried out during two time periods: inpatient treatment of a COVID-19 and 6 months after discharge. The following were evaluated: anamnesis data, the level of fasting plasma glucose; HbA1c, the results of computed tomography of the lungs, the drug therapy taken in all patients. Descriptive statistics methods were used to evaluate the parameters.

RESULTS: The study included 280 patients with a median age of 61.5±14,2 years. During the disease, a violation of  carbohydrate metabolism was detected in 188 people (67%), the remaining patients (33%) made up the normoglycemia group. Patients with hyperglycemia were stratified in a following way: a group with an established diagnosis of DM before COVID -19 included — 56 people (20%), a group with steroid-induced hyperglycemia (SIH) — 95 people (34%), a group of stress- induced hyperglycaemia — 20 people (7%), with undiagnosed diabetes — 17 people (6%). In the postcovid period (after 6 months), the normal level of glycemia in the same sample group was observed in 199 people (71.4%); 8 people (3%) were diagnosed with new cases of DM. The mortality rate was 10 people (3.6%) in the group of SIH (8 people) and undiagnosed DM (2 people).

CONCLUSION: The use of glucocorticoids in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 leads to high incidence of SIH, which has reversible character. About 6% among hospitalized patients with a COVID-19 had undiagnosed DM and were not receiving antihyperglycemic therapy. The highest mortality was noted in the group of SIH, which allows us to conclude that SIH worsens the prognosis of patients to the greatest extent. Patients with newly diagnosed hyperglycemia, regardless of the level of hyperglycemia, are characterized by a more unfavorable course.

Effect of Antidiabetic Therapy on Clinical Outcomes of COVID-19 Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background:

No study has yet systematically evaluated the effect of antidiabetic therapy on clinical outcomes of COVID-19 patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D).

Objective:

We aimed to evaluate the effect of different antidiabetic therapy on clinical outcomes of COVID-19 patients with T2D.

Methods:

We comprehensively retrieved the published research which examined the effect of antidiabetic therapy on clinical outcomes of COVID-19 patients with T2D. The odds ratio (OR) and its 95% confidence interval (95% CI) for clinical outcomes were calculated using the random-effects model, and meta-regression was adopted to evaluate the potential sources of heterogeneity between studies.

Results:

A total of 54 studies were included in this study. We found that the use of metformin (OR = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.58-0.75), SGLT-2i (OR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.73-0.88), and GLP-1ra (OR = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.70-0.98) were significantly associated with lower mortality risk in COVID-19 patients with T2D, while insulin use might unexpectedly increase the ICU admission rate (OR = 2.32, 95% CI: 1.34-4.01) and risk of death (OR = 1.52, 95% CI: 1.32-1.75). No statistically significant associations were identified for DPP-4i, SUs, AGIs, and TZDs.

Conclusion and Relevance:

We demonstrated that the usage of metformin, SGLT-2i, and GLP-1ra could significantly decrease mortality in COVID-19 patients with T2D. The heterogeneity across the studies, baseline characteristics of the included patients, shortage of dosage and the duration of antidiabetic drugs and autonomy of drug selection might limit the objectivity and accuracy of results. Further adequately powered and high-quality randomized controlled trials are warranted for conclusive findings.

Mycotic infection as a risk factor for COVID-19: A meta-analysis

More than 405 million people have contracted coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) worldwide, and mycotic infection may be related to COVID-19 development. There are a large number of reports showing that COVID-19 patients with mycotic infection have an increased risk of mortality. However, whether mycotic infection can be considered a risk factor for COVID-19 remains unknown. We searched the PubMed and Web of Science databases for studies published from inception to December 27, 2021. Pooled effect sizes were calculated according to a random-effects model or fixed-effect model, depending on heterogeneity. We also performed subgroup analyses to identify differences in mortality rates between continents and fungal species. A total of 20 articles were included in this study. Compared with the controls, patients with mycotic infection had an odds ratio (OR) of 2.69 [95% confidence interval (CI): 2.22-3.26] for mortality and an OR of 2.28 (95% CI: 1.65-3.16) for renal replacement therapy (RRT). We also conducted two subgroup analyses based on continent and fungal species, and we found that Europe and Asia had the highest ORs, while Candida was the most dangerous strain of fungi. We performed Egger's test and Begg's test to evaluate the publication bias of the included articles, and the p-value was 0.423, which indicated no significant bias. Mycotic infection can be regarded as a risk factor for COVID-19, and decision makers should be made aware of this risk.

Invasive Fungal Sinusitis in Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019 Seen in South India

BACKGROUND

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has a vast array of presentations and associations with neuro-ophthalmic diseases. There has been a recent surge in ophthalmic manifestations secondary to fungal sinus infections in India especially in diabetic patients who were given systemic steroids. We present our COVID-19-related cranial neuropathies presenting in our clinic.

METHODS

This is a retrospective case series of 10 patients affected with COVID-19 disease and who presented with cranial nerve palsies at the neuro-ophthalmic department of a tertiary eye care hospital in South India. An analysis of electronic medical records data was performed, including their comorbidities, symptoms, cranial nerves involved, ocular and neuroimaging findings, site of lesion, etiology, and prognosis.

RESULTS

Most of the patients (7 of 10) presented with multiple cranial nerve palsies (MCNP) with poor visual acuity. 2 of the 10 cases succumbed to death due to the intracranial involvement. All MCNP cases had uncontrolled diabetes with a history of systemic steroids, and neuroimaging of these cases showed sinusitis of varying severity most of which were suggestive of fungal invasive type.

CONCLUSION

Our study emphasizes the need to screen for fungal involvement in COVID-19 cases presenting with MCNP especially on diabetic patients on systemic steroids so that an early diagnosis may reduce visual loss and mortality. Physicians treating COVID-19 cases need to be aware of this dreadful complication.