Diabetes patient
Diabetes patients are more at risk than the general population of viral or bacterial infections. The immune system compromised by the metabolic pathology is characterized by a reduced response and effectiveness of neutrophil and T lymphocyte activity, and by the lack of an adequate humoral immune response, which make the patient with diabetes at high risk of viral or bacterial infection especially in the airways. (3) (4).
People with diabetes are therefore at increased risk of both COVID-19 infection and increased complications and mortality. General precautions to prevent COVID-19 infection are essential for people with diabetes. Patients with diabetes need continuous and regular blood glucose monitoring and optimal compliance with ongoing drug treatment, even in case of COVID-19 infection. For patients with severe COVID-19 diabetes, drugs such as glyptins, incretin mimetics or SGLT2 inhibitors can safely continue to be taken, and Ace inhibitors/ARB antihypertensives should also continue to be taken, unless contraindications or further evidence against their use develop. In particular, the diabetic patient has a higher risk of pneumonia mortality than the general population. In addition, during the SARS-Cov epidemic in 2003 similar to COVID-19, diabetes was identified as a risk factor for mortality from infection. Similarly, in another similar epidemic, such as MERS, the presence of diabetes was a risk factor for infection and serious complications. (5) (6). Similarly, among patients with influenza A (H1N1) in 2009, diabetes increased the risk of complications. (7).