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Meta-Analysis
. 2021 Feb;58(2):139-144.
doi: 10.1007/s00592-020-01546-0. Epub 2020 Jun 24.

Diabetes increases the mortality of patients with COVID-19: a meta-analysis

Zeng-Hong Wu  1 , Yun Tang  2 , Qing Cheng  3
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Diabetes increases the mortality of patients with COVID-19: a meta-analysis

Zeng-Hong Wu et al. Acta Diabetol. 2021 Feb.

Abstract

Aims: Nowadays, the ongoing pandemic of COVID-19 caused by the novel coronavirus Syndrome-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an emerging, rapidly evolving situation. Complications such as hypertension, diabetes, COPD, cardiovascular disease, and cerebrovascular disease are major risk factors for patients with COVID-19.

Methods: No meta-analysis has explored if or not diabetes related to mortality of patients with COVID-19. Therefore, this meta-analysis first aims to explore the possible clinical mortality between diabetes and COVID-19, analyze if diabetes patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 are exposed to the worst clinical prognostic risk, and to evaluate the reliability of the evidence.

Results: Our results showed a close relationship between diabetes and mortality of COVID-19, with a pooled OR of 1.75 (95% CI 1.31-2.36; P = 0.0002). The pooled data were calculated with the fixed effects model (FEM) as no heterogeneity appeared in the studies. Sensitivity analysis showed that after omitting any single study or converting a random effect model to FEM, the main results still held.

Conclusions: Our meta-analysis showed that diabetes increases the mortality of patients with COVID-19. These results indicated the disturbance of blood glucose in the COVID-19 patients. More importantly, this meta-analysis grades the reliability of evidence for further basic and clinical research into the diabetes dysfunction in COVID-19 patients.

Keywords: COVID-19; Diabetes; Meta-analysis; SARS-CoV-2.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

All authors certify that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest (such as honoraria; educational grants; participation in speakers’ bureaus; membership, employment, consultancies, stock ownership, or other equity interest; and expert testimony or patent-licensing arrangements), or non-financial interest (such as personal or professional relationships, affiliations, knowledge or beliefs) in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Search strategy to identify articles on the relationship between diabetes and the mortality of patients with COVID-19
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Forest plot of the relationship between diabetes and the mortality of patients with COVID-19
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Forest plot of age subgroup analysis
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

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