• According to researchers, 40 percent of persons who died from COVID-19
  • in the United States had type 1 or type 2 diabetes.
  • They go on to say that untreated diabetes can make COVID-19 worse.
  • They also out that having an inflammatory disease like diabetes and other
  • factors like high blood pressure and obesity, can raise the risk of COVID-19.

 

Diabetes affects about one out of every ten people in the United States.

 

According to a new study, 40 percent of Americans who died from COVID-19 had type 1 or type 2 diabetes.

 

Furthermore, researchers claim that one out of every ten diabetics

hospitalized with COVID-19 dies within a week, implying that uncontrolled diabetes doubles the risk of dying from COVID-19.

 

According to data presented at the American Diabetes Association’s 81st Scientific Sessions, untreated diabetes increases COVID-19 severity and consequences (ADA).

 

According to research lead by Dr. Sudep Bajpeyi of the University of Texas in El Paso, patients with

diabetes who did not take medication to treat their illness were hospitalized

longer and took longer to recover than people with COVID-19.

 

On the other hand, low blood sugar levels were associated with fewer COVID-19 problems and shorter hospital stays.

 

Dr. Camillo Ricordi, a professor and director of the Diabetes Research Institute and the

Cell Transplant Center at the University of Miami in Florida,

told Healthline that the new results are consistent with previous Italian

research that showed people with diabetes had lower COVID-19 survivability than those without diabetes.

 

According to Ricordi, “there is a definite link between having an A1C [blood glucose] level above 7 and the probability of mortality” from COVID-19.

 

The dangers that particular communities face

 

Diabetes and COVID-19, according to Ricordi, are inflammatory disorders that raise the risk of severe blood clotting.

 

He also stressed that frequent diabetic comorbidities, such as obesity and

high blood pressure, are likely to contribute to a person’s inferior COVID-19 outcome.

 

Type 1 diabetes patients are likewise at a higher risk, although for different reasons.

 

Individuals with type 1 diabetes are predisposed to various immunological

disorders and may have “reduced ability to manage their immune system, which can reduce their ability to combat an immune-triggering” condition like COVID-19, according to Ricordi.

 

According to the study, the association between diabetes and COVID-19 sickness severity and death is especially robust among Hispanic and Latinx individuals.

 

Researchers discovered that Hispanics have a 2.4 times higher risk of dying from COVID-19 and a 50% higher risk of diabetes than white Americans. Many people in this group are unaware that they have diabetes, according to Bajpeyi.

 

What the investigation discovered

The findings came from a survey of 369 COVID-19 patients hospitalized at the University Medical Center in El Paso, Texas.

 

The participants in the study were divided into three groups: those with normal A1C blood sugar levels, those with prediabetes, and those with diabetes. People with diabetes were also divided into groups based on whether or not they were taking diabetes medication.

 

“Our findings emphasize the need for screening, monitoring, and regulating blood glucose in COVID-19 patients from the beginning, especially in vulnerable individuals already at risk of comorbidities,” Bajpeyi added.

 

Other research has indicated that patients with diabetes are at a higher risk of COVID-19 problems and getting the novel coronavirus.

 

ACCORDING TO RESEARCHERS, the COVID-19 pandemic’s disruptions to diet, exercise, and other lifestyle factors, as well as restricted availability of medication, may have a negative impact on persons with diabetes.

 

Dr. Garry Welch, chief scientific officer and co-founder of Silver Fern Healthcare, told Healthline, “We are now learning that many Americans who hunkered down over the past year and a half to avoid infection report that their diet is even worse, they feel more isolated, and they are experiencing higher levels of additional stress from COVID-19.”Research reveals that as a result of these circumstances, we should expect a higher wave of death and disability from chronic diseases, aggravated by the fact that many patients have also avoided routine medical visits for chronic conditions.”

 

According to experts, people with diabetes can reduce their chance of falling sick or dying from COVID-19 in two ways. One option is to get vaccinated, and the other is to use medicine, diet, and lifestyle modifications to keep their blood sugar levels under control.