AI Article Synopsis

  • The study examines the link between blood glucose levels and patient outcomes among hospitalized COVID-19 patients, identifying elevated glucose as a significant risk factor for serious complications and mortality.
  • Researchers analyzed data from 2041 COVID-19 patients in Wuhan, using statistical methods to establish associations between blood glucose levels and the progression to critical illness or death.
  • Results indicate that higher blood glucose levels correlate with worse outcomes, suggesting that monitoring glucose could aid in managing patients, especially during resource shortages in a pandemic.

Article Abstract

Introduction: With intense deficiency of medical resources during COVID-19 pandemic, risk stratification is of strategic importance. Blood glucose level is an important risk factor for the prognosis of infection and critically ill patients. We aimed to investigate the prognostic value of blood glucose level in patients with COVID-19.

Research Design And Methods: We collected clinical and survival information of 2041 consecutive hospitalized patients with COVID-19 from two medical centers in Wuhan. Patients without available blood glucose level were excluded. We performed multivariable Cox regression to calculate HRs of blood glucose-associated indexes for the risk of progression to critical cases/mortality among non-critical cases, as well as in-hospital mortality in critical cases. Sensitivity analysis were conducted in patient without diabetes.

Results: Elevation of admission blood glucose level was an independent risk factor for progression to critical cases/death among non-critical cases (HR=1.30, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.63, p=0.026). Elevation of initial blood glucose level of critical diagnosis was an independent risk factor for in-hospital mortality in critical cases (HR=1.84, 95% CI 1.14 to 2.98, p=0.013). Higher median glucose level during hospital stay or after critical diagnosis (≥6.1 mmol/L) was independently associated with increased risks of progression to critical cases/death among non-critical cases, as well as in-hospital mortality in critical cases. Above results were consistent in the sensitivity analysis in patients without diabetes.

Conclusions: Elevation of blood glucose level predicted worse outcomes in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Our findings may provide a simple and practical way to risk stratify COVID-19 inpatients for hierarchical management, particularly where medical resources are in severe shortage during the pandemic.

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Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7298690PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjdrc-2020-001476DOI Listing

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