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Predictors of Death, Discharge ID'd for Diabetes Patients With COVID-19

TUESDAY, Feb. 23, 2021 -- About 20 percent of patients with diabetes hospitalized with COVID-19 die within 28 days and about 50 percent are discharged, and predictors of death and discharge have been identified, according to a study published online Feb. 17 in Diabetologia.

Matthieu Wargny, M.D., from the University of Nantes in France, and colleagues screened patients with diabetes hospitalized for COVID-19 after hospital admission, focusing on hospital discharge and death within 28 days. Data were included for 2,796 participants.

The researchers found that 44.2 and 38.6 percent of participants had microvascular and macrovascular diabetic complications, respectively. Within 28 days, 20.6 percent died, and 50.2 percent were discharged from the hospital with a median duration of hospital stay of nine days. Positive associations with discharge were seen for younger age, routine metformin therapy, and longer symptom duration on admission in multivariable models. Variables associated with a reduced chance of discharge included history of microvascular complications, anticoagulant routine therapy, dyspnea on admission, and higher aspartate aminotransferase, white cell count, and C-reactive protein levels. Factors that were associated with death within 28 days were also associated with discharge, including routine treatment by insulin and statin, which correlated with increased risks.

"The identification of favorable variables associated with hospital discharge and deleterious variables associated with death can lead to patient reclassification and help to use resources adequately according to individual patient profile," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed financial ties to pharmaceutical companies, some of which provided funding for the study.

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Posted: February 2021