One in ten diabetics hospitalised with Covid die in a week

MORE than one in ten patients who have diabetes and are hospitalised with coronavirus die within seven days, a study found.

Almost two-thirds of the diabetic Covid-19 patients in hospital are men, raising more concerns over the higher impact on males.

The first study of those with coronavirus and diabetes found almost a third become so ill they are admitted to intensive care within seven days of entering hospital.

Just over 10 per cent die, while around one in five need mechanical ventilation with a tube put down their throat.

This is based on 1,317 people admitted to hospitals in France between March 10 and March 31 – the vast majority of whom had type 2 diabetes.

At least 3.9 million people in Britain have the blood sugar disorder and around 90 per cent are type 2, which is fuelled by the obesity crisis and ageing population.

The authors of the study, led by the University of Nantes, said: ‘Patients with diabetes have been listed as higher risk for severe illness from Covid-19 by several health authorities and medical societies.’

Earlier this month, medical records for almost 37,000 people admitted to hospital in the UK showed almost one in five had diabetes without complications.

The new study, published in the journal Diabetologia, found the average age of diabetics admitted to hospital with coronavirus was almost 70. Among them, 64.9 per cent were men, who UK figures suggest are 20 per cent more likely than women to die of Covid-19.

In the French hospitals, women were around a fifth less likely to die than men with diabetes and coronavirus. Some experts have suggested men are worse affected by the virus because their immune systems fight it off less well or they have unhealthy habits.

When sex and age were taken into account by the study, people with diabetes who were overweight or obese were more likely to end up on a ventilator. People who were short of breath, with lower white blood cell counts, higher inflammation or higher levels of an enzyme called AST were more likely to become severely ill.

Those with obstructive sleep apnoea or diabetic complications such as kidney disease or peripheral artery disease were more than twice as likely to die.

As is already known, older people are worst affected by coronavirus, with diabetes potentially another risk on top of their age.

Patients aged 75-plus were around 14 times more likely to die than younger patients under 55.

However fewer than one in five with diabetes were discharged from hospital within seven days.

Elizabeth Robertson, director of research at Diabetes UK, said: ‘The evidence from multiple large studies in the UK suggests age is the most important risk factor.

‘This new study builds on this evidence and suggests older people with long-term diabetes and advanced complications were at greater risk of poorer outcomes.’ nLatest coronavirus video news, views and expert advice at mailplus.co.uk/coronavirus