Diabetes predicts severity of COVID‐19 infection in a retrospective cohort: A mediatory role of the inflammatory biomarker C‐reactive protein
Open Access
- 2 February 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Wiley in Journal of Medical Virology
- Vol. 93 (5), 3023-3032
- https://doi.org/10.1002/jmv.26837
Abstract
Diabetes is a risk factor for developing severe COVID‐19, but the pathogenesis remains unclear. We investigated if the association of diabetes and COVID‐19 severity may be mediated by inflammation. We also hypothesized that this increased risk may extend to prediabetes. Hospitalized patients in Singapore with COVID‐19 were subdivided into three groups in a retrospective cohort: normoglycemia (HbA1c: ≤5.6%), prediabetes (HbA1c: 5.7%–6.4%) and diabetes (HbA1c: ≥6.5%). The primary outcome of severe COVID‐19 was defined by respiratory rate ≥30, SpO2 ≤93% or intensive care unit admission. The association between clinical factors on severe COVID‐19 outcome was analyzed by cox regression. Adjusted mediation analysis of C‐reactive protein (CRP) on the relationship between diabetes and severe COVID‐19 was performed. Of 1042 hospitalized patients, mean age 39 ± 11 years, 13% had diabetes, 9% prediabetes and 78% normoglycemia. Severe COVID‐19 occurred in 4.9% of subjects. Compared to normoglycemia, diabetes was significantly associated with severe COVID‐19 on both univariate (hazard ratio [HR]: 9.94; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.54–17.84; p < .001) and multivariate analysis (HR: 3.99; 95% CI: 1.92–8.31; p < .001), while prediabetes was not a risk factor (HR: 0.94; 95% CI: 0.22–4.03; p = .929). CRP, a biomarker of inflammation, mediated 32.7% of the total association between diabetes and severe COVID‐19 outcome. In conclusion, CRP is a partial mediator of the association between diabetes and severe COVID‐19 infection, confirming that inflammation is important in the pathogenesis of severe COVID‐19 in diabetes.Keywords
This publication has 43 references indexed in Scilit:
- Profile of the Immune and Inflammatory Response in Individuals With Prediabetes and Type 2 DiabetesDiabetes Care, 2015
- Diabetes Mellitus, Fasting Glucose, and Risk of Cause-Specific DeathNew England Journal of Medicine, 2011
- Lowering Glucose to Prevent Adverse Cardiovascular Outcomes in a Critical Care SettingJournal of the American College of Cardiology, 2009
- Intensive Insulin Therapy in Mixed Medical/Surgical Intensive Care UnitsDiabetes, 2006
- Appropriate body-mass index for Asian populations and its implications for policy and intervention strategiesThe Lancet, 2004
- C-Reactive Protein and Glycemic Control in Adults With DiabetesDiabetes Care, 2003
- Inflammatory Cytokine Concentrations Are Acutely Increased by Hyperglycemia in HumansCirculation, 2002
- Immune dysfunction in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM)FEMS Immunology & Medical Microbiology, 1999
- Impaired immune responses in diabetes mellitus: analysis of the factors and mechanisms involved. Relevance to the increased susceptibility of diabetic patients to specific infections.1992
- The moderator–mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1986