A first study published in the specialized journal Diabetologia reviewed the case of 1,317 diabetics who presented with a severe form of Covid-19 and who were hospitalized in France between March 10 and March 31.
A great first
It has been revealed since the start of the epidemic that the diabetes was one of the aggravating factors, faced with the coronavirus. However, this is the first time that a study has been published and has looked into details regarding the types of diabetics who suffered from severe form of Covid-19. The study published in the specialist journal Diabetologia analyzed the characteristics of 1,317 diabetics who suffered from a severe form of the disease and were admitted to hospital in France between March 10 and March 31.
Most at risk patients
According to the endocrinologist Bertrand Cariou who co-directed this work, it allowed to obtain a “more precise photography” diabetic patient at risk. “Diabetic patients were identified as people at risk (…) and this alarmist message was perceived in the same way in an elderly type 2 diabetic patient as in a young type 1 diabetic patient of 30 years on insulin”, he explained on the words relayed by Le Figaro. The diabetics most at risk in the face of coronavirus are the elderly patients, suffering from diabetes type 2, with complications and who are overweight. In contrast, only 3% of type 1 diabetic patients have severe forms of Covid-19.
Aggravating factors
Among the risk factors for death, age comes first. Diabetics over the age of 75 are 14 times more likely to die after seven days in hospital compared to those under the age of 55. The odds of dying from coronavirus are also higher for patients with complications from diabetes such as damage to the retina, kidneys and cardiovascular disease. The main lesson of the study is that it should “personalize prevention messages vis-à-vis diabetics at the time of deconfinement”, targeting elderly patients suffering from complications, underlines Professor Cariou.
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