Diabetics at greater risk
Study shows virus is twice as likely to kill Type 2 sufferers
PATIENTS with Type 2 diabetes are twice as likely to die from coronavirus – and being obese increases the risk even further, new research reveals.
The findings follow news that 10% of victims who died with a Covid-19 infection here had some form of diabetes.
According to the study, carried out by the UK’s NHS and Imperial College London, people with diabetes accounted for nearly a third of UK coronavirus deaths.
It found that those with Type 1 diabetes – which is not linked to obesity – were three and a half times more likely to die.
The findings provide further evidence that certain groups of patients are at much higher risk of suffering fatal complications.
But they also suggest that a person’s lifestyle strongly influences their susceptibility to the virus and those who are obese are much more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes.
Lead researcher Professor Jonathan Valabhji, a diabetes expert, analysed the deaths of 23,804 patients from coronavirus between March 1 and May 11.
He found that 31.4% had Type 2 diabetes and 1.5% had Type 1.
In Ireland, it is estimated that over 225,000 people have some form of diabetes, according to Diabetes Ireland. Approximately 10% to 15% having Type 1 diabetes while the rest have Type 2.
Last week, Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan revealed that of the first 15,400 patients in Ireland who contracted coronavirus, 964 of them had some form of diabetes, which resulted in 154 deaths.
Given that the death toll here stood at 1,561 last night, that means roughly one in ten fatalities were diabetic.
A further 91 sufferers of diabetes were admitted in ICU – representing more than 23% of the ICU admissions at that time.
Other figures released by Dr Holohan show that obesity also plays a part in how serious a case of Covid-19 might be.
People with a body mass index (BMI) of more than 40 represented just 1% of cases in Ireland but 16.3%, 63 in total, of ICU admissions and 19 deaths. Dr Holohan said that there could be some overlap on the figures.
Research and advocacy manager with Diabetes Ireland, Dr Anna Clarke, told the Irish Daily Mail that they are ‘obviously concerned’ for the community of 225,000 people with diabetes in Ireland during this crisis.
She said that while diabetics are not more at risk of getting Covid-19, they ‘are more at risk of the moderate to severe form’ of the virus if they contract it. ‘Hence, people with diabetes need to ensure that they are taking all the necessary precautions to prevent being exposed to it in the first place,’ she said.
Prof. Valabhji 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.’
Prof. Valabhji also predicted that patients with Type 1 diabetes were three and a half times more likely to die from the virus than a non-diabetics while those with Type 2 were twice as likely.
The study also found patients with Type 2 diabetes doubled their risk again if they were also severely obese, with a BMI above 40. They were twice as likely to die than those patients with the condition in the overweight or normal category.
Patients with Type 2 diabetes, who also had high blood glucose levels, increased their risk of death by another 60%.
‘We are obviously concerned’