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. 2025 Jul 31;11(3):257-264.
doi: 10.2478/jccm-2025-0026. eCollection 2025 Jul.

Hyperglycemia, diabetes, and de novo diabetes in patients hospitalized in intensive care units for COVID-19 in Colombia: Results from a longitudinal cohort study

John Jaime Sprockel  1   2 , Ana Maria Perez  2 , Maria Camila Chamorro  2 , Jose Alejandro Vergel  2 , Ximena Espinosa  1 , Juan Carlos Vargas  1 , Carlos Angarita  1 , Jhon Edinson Parra  1
Affiliations

Hyperglycemia, diabetes, and de novo diabetes in patients hospitalized in intensive care units for COVID-19 in Colombia: Results from a longitudinal cohort study

John Jaime Sprockel et al. J Crit Care Med (Targu Mures). .

Abstract

Introduction: Hyperglycemia and diabetes have been identified as risk factors for severe COVID-19 and death, with a high rate of reported de novo diabetes. We evaluated their incidence and relationship with adverse outcomes in critically ill COVID-19 patients.

Methods: Prospective single-center longitudinal cohort study in adults hospitalized in intensive care units for confirmed COVID-19. ROC curves for serum glucose and glycated hemoglobin were plotted in relation to 60-day mortality. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to assess the association of diabetes and de novo diabetes with 60-day mortality.

Results: 547 patients were included, with a mean age of 59.8 years; 133 (24.3%) had a history of diabetes, and 67 (12.2%) had de novo diabetes. At 60 days, 317 (57.9%) had died. For mortality, the AUC for glucose at admission was 0.55 (95% CI: 0.48 - 0.62) and 0.51 (95% CI: 0.41 - 0.62) for glycated hemoglobin. In the Cox model, diabetes had an HR of 0.888 (95% CI: 0.695 - 1.135, p: 0.344), history of DM had an HR of 0.881 (95% CI: 0.668 - 1.163, p: 0.371), and de novo diabetes had an HR of 0.963 (95% CI: 0.672 - 1.378, p: 0.835).

Conclusion: There was a high incidence of de novo diabetes in patients hospitalized in intensive care for COVID-19. Neither hyperglycemia, history of diabetes, nor de novo diabetes were associated with the development of complications or 60-day mortality.

Keywords: COVID-19; diabetes mellitus; intensive care; mortality; newly diagnosed diabetes; organic failure.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest None to declare.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Patient flowchart
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) Curve for the association between 60-day mortality and blood glucose (a) or glycated hemoglobin (b)
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.
Kaplan-Meier Curve for the association between 60-day mortality and the presence of a history of type 2 diabetes (a) or de novo diabetes (b). The p-value was calculated using the Log Rank Test technique
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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