The clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with diabetes and secondary hyperglycaemia with coronavirus disease 2019: A single‐centre, retrospective, observational study in Wuhan

Abstract

Aim: To explore whether coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) patients with diabetes and secondary hyperglycaemia have different clinical characteristics and prognoses than those without significantly abnormal glucose metabolism. Materials and methods: We retrospectively analysed 166 COVID‐19 patients at Tongji Hospital (Wuhan) from 8 February to 21 March 2020. Clinical characteristics and outcomes (as of 4 April 2020) were compared among control (group 1), secondary hyperglycaemia (group 2: no diabetes history, fasting plasma glucose levels of ≥7.0 mmol/L once and HbA1c values <6.5%) and patients with diabetes (group 3). Results: Compared with group 1, groups 2 and 3 had higher rates of leukocytosis, neutrophilia, lymphocytopenia, eosinopenia and levels of hypersensitive C‐reactive protein, ferritin and d‐dimer ( P < .05 for all). Group 2 patients had higher levels of lactate dehydrogenase, prevalence of liver dysfunction and increased interleukin‐8 (IL‐8) than those in group 1, and a higher prevalence of increased IL‐8 was found in group 2 than in group 3 ( P < .05 for all). The proportions of critical patients in groups 2 and 3 were significantly higher compared with group 1 (38.1%, 32.8% vs. 9.5%, P < .05 for both). Groups 2 and 3 had significantly longer hospital stays than group 1, which was nearly 1 week longer. The composite outcomes risks were 5.47 (1.56‐19.82) and 2.61 (0.86‐7.88) times greater in groups 2 and 3 than in group 1. Conclusions: Hyperglycaemia in both diabetes and secondary hyperglycaemia patients with COVID‐19 may indicate poor prognoses. There were differences between patients with secondary hyperglycaemia and those with diabetes. We recommend that clinicians pay more attention to the blood glucose status of COVID‐19 patients, even those not diagnosed with diabetes before admission.