Diabetes mellitus as a factor aggressing the course of COVID-19: a feature or a regularity?

Currently, there is a gradual transition of a new coronavirus infection to the status of a seasonal infection, and therefore, studies aimed at distinguishing common for a group of acute respiratory viral infections and specific characteristics of COVID-19, including factors that aggravate the course of the disease, are becoming increasingly relevant. The present study aimed to determine the role of diabetes mellitus as an aggravating factor in the course of COVID-19, in comparison with other acute respiratory viral infections. According to the results obtained, a significant prevalence of diabetes mellitus was observed among hospitalized patients with moderate and severe forms of the new coronavirus infection. For influenza and other acute respiratory viral infections, diabetes mellitus is also a risk factor for worsening the course of the disease. However, it has turned out that the relationship between diabetes mellitus as a comorbid condition and the new coronavirus infection is stronger than in the case of influenza and is based on slightly different pathogenetic mechanisms. Thus, the results of the study suggest a special role of diabetes mellitus as a factor aggravating the course of the new coronavirus infection, which paves the way for new clinical and basic research in this direction.

1. Pranata R., Henrina J., Raffaello W.M., Lawrensia S., Huang I. Diabetes and COVID-19: The past, the present, and the future. Metabolism, 2021, vol.121, article no.154814. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.metabol.2021.154814

2. Kumar A., Arora A., Sharma P., Anikhindi S.A., Bansal N., Singla V., Khare S., Srivastava A. Is diabetes mellitus associated with mortality and severity of COVID-19? A metaanalysis. Diabetes Metab Syndr., 2020, vol.14(4), pp.535–545. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsx.2020.04.044

3. Khunti K., Del Prato S., Mathieu C., Kahn S.E., Gabbay R.A., Buse J.B. COVID-19, Hyperglycemia, and New-Onset Diabetes. Diabetes Care, 2021, vol.44(12), pp.2645–2655. doi: https://doi.org/10.2337/dc21-1318

4. Shishkova V., Zotova L. Effektivnost' terapii sezonnykh ostrykh respiratornykh zabolevaniy u patsiyentov s komorbidnymi sostoyaniyami [Effectiveness of therapy for seasonal acute respiratory diseases in patients with comorbid conditions]. Vrach — Doctor, 2017, no.3, pp.40–46.

5. Gómez-Gómez A., Sánchez-Ramos E.L., Noyola D.E. Diabetes is a major cause of influenza-associated mortality in Mexico. Rev. Epidemiol. Sante Publique, 2021, vol.69(4), pp.205-213. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respe.2021.03.009

6. Piroth L., Cottenet J., Mariet A.S., Bonniaud P., Blot M., Tubert-Bitter P., Quantin C. Comparison of the characteristics, morbidity, and mortality of COVID-19 and seasonal influenza: a nationwide, population-based retrospective cohort study. Lancet. Respir. Med., 2021, vol.9(3), pp.251–259. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2213-2600(20)30527-0