Coronavirus risk warning for town diabetics
DIABETICS are twice as likely to die from coronavirus, meaning thousands of people in the Loughborough area are potentially at higher risk.
People with type 1 diabetes have three and a half times the risk of dying in hospital with the virus and those with type 2 double the risk, compared to people without diabetes, according to an NHS study.
Out of the 23,804 Covid-19 related deaths in English hospitals between March 1 and May 11, 7,831 were diabetes patients, or 32.9%.
For adults in the West Leicestershire CCG area, in 2018/19, 22,416 patients aged 17 and over registered with a GP in the area had diabetes, or 6.9%. That’s at the national average of 6.9%.
Across England, there were 3.3m registered patients with diabetes in 2018/19, a 3.9% increase compared to the previous year.
Professor Jonathan Valabhji, national clinical director for diabetes and obesity and lead author of the NHS study said: “This research shows the extent of the risk of coronavirus for people with diabetes and the different risks for those with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
“Importantly, it also shows that higher blood glucose levels and obesity further increase the risk in both types of diabetes.
“This can be worrying news but we would like to reassure people that the NHS is here for anyone with concerns about diabetes – and has put extra measures in place to help people and keep them safe, including online sites to support people to care for themselves, digital consultations, and a dedicated new helpline for advice and support for people treated with insulin.”
The health service has announced a dedicated helpline with Diabetes UK, Novo Nordisk and Insulet, as well as new online advice for people to help them manage their diabetes during the outbreak.
However, Diabetes UK is calling on the UK Government to urgently review all of the emerging evidence about risks to people with diabetes, to ensure people with diabetes are protected and supported, especially as lockdown measures are eased.
It’s calling for measures to keep people with diabetes safe at work.