From swab testing to health outcomes within the T2DM population: Impact of diabetes background on COVID19 progression

BACKGROUND: We aimed to study the impact of diabetes background on COVID-19 progression from swab testing to health outcomes in type 2 diabetes (T2DM). METHODS: From the database of the diabetes units of Piedmont-Italy we extracted records of T2DM patients, which were linked with the swab-testing-database, and the database of hospital discharges. Five outcomes (PCR testing, PCR testing positivity, hospitalization, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), death) were evaluated using robust Poisson models. RESULTS: Among 125,021 T2DM patients, 1882 had a positive PCR test. Of these patients, 49.4% were hospitalized within 30 days, 11.8% were admitted to an ICU, and 27.1% died. Greater probability of death was associated with age, male sex, liver and renal impairment, Hba1c above 8%, and former smoking. Hospitalization and ICU admission were mainly affected by age, male sex, hypertension, and metabolic control. Notably, ICU admissions were reduced in very elderly people. No outcomes were associated with educational level. CONCLUSIONS: Hospitalization and ICU admission are heavily affected by age and local triage policy. A key finding was that men who were > 75 years old and poorly compensated were highly vulnerable patients. Renal and/or hepatic impairment are additional factors. This information may be useful for addressing intervention priorities.