Diabetes predicts severity of COVID‐19 infection in a retrospective cohort: A mediatory role of the inflammatory biomarker C‐reactive protein

• Published in: Journal of medical virology Vol. 93; no. 5; pp. 3023 - 3032
• Main Authors: Koh, Huilin, Moh, Angela Mei Chung, Yeoh, Ester, Lin, Yi, Low, Serena Kiat Mun, Ooi, Say Tat, Tan, Seng Kiong, Lin, Jaime Hui Xian, Hoong, Caroline Wei Shan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.05.2021; John Wiley and Sons Inc
• Subjects: Adult; Biomarkers; Biomarkers - blood; Blood glucose; C-reactive protein; C-Reactive Protein - metabolism; Confidence intervals; COVID-19; COVID-19 - blood; COVID-19 - diagnosis; COVID-19 - epidemiology; Diabetes; Diabetes mellitus; Diabetes Mellitus - blood; Diabetes Mellitus - epidemiology; Dyspnea; Female; Health risks; Hospitalization - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Infections; Inflammation; Intensive care; Male; mediation; Middle Aged; Multivariate analysis; Pathogenesis; prediabetes; Prognosis; Proportional Hazards Models; Proteins; Regression analysis; Respiration; Respiratory rate; Retrospective Studies; Risk analysis; Risk Factors; SARS-CoV-2; severe COVID‐19; Severity of Illness Index; Singapore - epidemiology; Statistical analysis; Virology; Singapore; mediation; inflammation; diabetes; prediabetes; severe COVID-19

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 Sing...