SARS-CoV-2 infection and diabetes: Pathophysiological mechanism of multi-system organ failure

Effectiveness of SARS-CoV-2 primary vaccines and boosters in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Hungary (HUN-VE 4 Study)

INTRODUCTION

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a risk factor for severe COVID-19 infection and is associated with increased risk of complications. The present study aimed to investigate effectiveness and persistence of different COVID vaccines in persons with or without diabetes during the Delta wave in Hungary.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Data sources were the national COVID-19 registry data from the National Public Health Center and the National Health Insurance Fund on the total Hungarian population. The adjusted incidence rate ratios and corresponding 95% CIs were derived from a mixed-effect negative binomial regression model.

RESULTS

A population of 672 240 cases with type 2 diabetes and a control group of 2 974 102 non-diabetic persons free from chronic diseases participated. Unvaccinated elderly persons with diabetes had 2.68 (95% CI 2.47 to 2.91) times higher COVID-19-related mortality rate as the 'healthy' controls. Primary immunization effectively equalized the risk of COVID-19 mortality between the two groups. Vaccine effectiveness declined over time, but the booster restored the effectiveness against mortality to over 90%. The adjusted vaccine effectiveness of the primary Pfizer-BioNTech against infection in the 14-120 days of postvaccination period was 71.6 (95% CI 66.3 to 76.1)% in patients aged 65-100 years with type 2 diabetes and 64.52 (95% CI 59.2 to 69.2)% in the controls. Overall, the effectiveness tended to be higher in individuals with diabetes than in controls. The booster vaccines could restore vaccine effectiveness to over 80% concerning risk of infection (eg, patients with diabetes aged 65-100 years: 89.1 (88.1-89.9)% with Pfizer-on-Pfizer, controls 65-100 years old: 86.9 (85.8-88.0)% with Pfizer-on-Pfizer, or patients with diabetes aged 65-100 years: 88.3 (87.2-89.2)% with Pfizer-on-Sinopharm, controls 65-100 years old: 87.8 (86.8-88.7)% with Pfizer-on-Sinopharm).

CONCLUSIONS

Our data suggest that people with type 2 diabetes may have even higher health gain when getting vaccinated as compared with non-diabetic persons, eliminating the marked, COVID-19-related excess risk of this population. Boosters could restore protection.

Diabetes Mellitus and Its Association with Adverse In-Hospital Outcomes in Patients with COVID-19-A Nationwide Study

BACKGROUND

Diabetes mellitus (DM) represents a relevant risk factor regarding morbidity and mortality worldwide. However, only limited data exist regarding the impact of DM on the clinical outcome of patients with COVID-19 infection.

METHODS

All hospitalized patients with confirmed COVID-19-infection (ICD-code U07.1) during the year 2020 in Germany were included in the present study. Patients were stratified regarding the co-prevalence of DM (ICD-codes E10-E14), and the impact of DM on in-hospital case fatality and in-hospital adverse events was analyzed.

RESULTS

Overall, 176,137 hospitalizations with confirmed COVID-19 infection were documented; of these, 45,232 (25.7%) patients had an additional diagnosis of DM. Diabetic patients with COVID-19 were more often of male sex and 7 years older (median 76.0 (IQR: 66.0-83.0) vs. 69.0 (52.0-81.0) years, p < 0.001). COVID-19 patients with DM demonstrated an aggravated comorbidity profile, as reflected by a higher Charlson comorbidity index (6.0 (IQR: 4.0-8.0) vs. 3.0 (1.0-5.0), p < 0.001). Risk for pneumonia (OR 1.38 (95% CI: 1.35-1.41), p < 0.001), acute respiratory distress syndrome (OR 1.53 (95% CI: 1.47-1.60), p < 0.001), and need for intensive care (21.3% vs. 13.3%, p < 0.001) were increased in DM patients. DM was an independent risk factor for acute kidney failure (OR 1.49 (95% CI: 1.44-1.53), p < 0.001), dialysis (OR 1.56 (95% CI: 1.47-1.66), p < 0.001), mechanical ventilation (OR: 1.49 (95% CI: 1.43-1.56), p < 0.001), extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (OR 1.44 (95% CI: 1.27-1.62), p < 0.001), major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (OR: 1.24 (95% CI: 1.20-1.27), p < 0.001), and in-hospital mortality (OR: 1.26 (95% CI: 1.22-1.30), p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with COVID-19-infection, DM is a relevant risk factor for adverse events, including mortality. The vulnerable patient group of diabetics with COVID-19 requires intense medical care and monitoring during hospitalization.