Correlation between COVID-19 Disease Severity and its Outcome in Diabetes Mellitus Patients

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus is a common metabolic disorder that contributes a significant burden on the healthcare system. It is one of the major comorbidities associated with COVID-19 and affects its severity. Aim: To study the correlation between COVID-19 disease severity and its outcome in diabetes mellitus patients and to correlate HbA1C with COVID-19 disease severity, NEWS, Ct RT-PCR value and clinical outcome in COVID-19 diabetic patients. Settings and Design: This was a prospective cross-sectional observational study conducted in the Department of Medicine, Maulana Azad Medical College. Method and Material: The study included a total of 60 subjects 30 in the diabetic group and 30 in the non-diabetic group. NEWS was calculated on the day of admission. HbA1C was correlated with disease severity, NEWS, Ct RT-PCR value and clinical outcome of patients. The data gathered were processed by SPSS version 25. The correlation between HbA1C, disease severity, NEWS, and Ct RT-PCR value was determined using Pearson correlation coefficient. Results: Diabetic patients have more severe COVID-19 disease. NEWS at admission was higher in these patients. Higher HbA1C is associated with severe disease. HbA1C positively correlates with NEWS but negatively correlates with Ct RT-PCR value. Incidences of organ injury and inflammatory markers were higher in diabetic patients. Diabetes was associated with more complications and worse outcomes. Conclusions: Diabetic patients are more susceptible to the development of severe and worse outcomes in COVID.