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“This is the first time that retinopathy has been linked to severe Covid-19 in diabetics,” said study author Antonella Corcillo of King’s College London in the UK as quoted by Times Now News, Thursday (26/11).
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“Retinopathy is a marker of damage to blood vessels and our results suggest that pre-existing damage to blood vessels can lead to a more severe Covid-19 infection requiring intensive care,” added Corcillo.
The study looked at 187 people with diabetes (179 with type 2 diabetes and eight with type 1 diabetes) who were hospitalized with Covid-19. Diabetic retinopathy was reported in 67 (36%) patients, mostly against a background of retinopathy.
Of the 187 patients admitted to the hospital with severe Covid-19, 26% were intubated and 45% of these patients had retinopathy. Retinopathy was associated with a fivefold increased risk of intubation. In the cohort, 32% of patients died and no association was observed between retinopathy and mortality.
According to the researchers, there is growing evidence that there is significant damage to blood vessels in the lungs and other organs in patients hospitalized with severe Covid-19. People with diabetes are at high risk for vascular complications that affect the large and small blood vessels.
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“We hypothesized that the presence of diabetes-related vascular disease such as retinopathy could result in a greater susceptibility to respiratory failure in severe Covid-19,” explained study author Janaka Karalliedde.
The investigators note that further studies are needed to investigate possible mechanisms explaining the association between markers and manifestations of diabetic vascular disease such as retinopathy and severe Covid-19.
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