Among noncritical hospitalized COVID-19 patients, admission hyperglycemia is an independent predictor of all-cause mortality, according to a study published in the Annals of Medicine. Investigators conducted a retrospective multicenter study involving 11,312 noncritical patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in Spain. Patients were classified according to admission blood glucose (BG) levels: <140, 140-180, and >180 mg/dL. Among participants, 18.9% had diabetes and 20.4% died during hospitalization. The in-hospital mortality rates were 15.7%, 33.7%, and 41.1% for BG <140, 140-180, and >180 mg/mL, respectively. Compared with patients with normoglycemia, those with hyperglycemia had a significantly higher cumulative probability of mortality, independent of preexisting diabetes. After adjustment for age, diabetes, hypertension, and other confounding variables, hyperglycemia was an independent risk factor for mortality (hazard ratios, 1.50 and 1.48, respectively, for BG >180 and 140-180 mg/dL). There were also associations noted for hyperglycemia with the requirement for mechanical ventilation, intensive care unit admission, and mortality. “Screening for hyperglycemia in patients without diabetes and early treatment should be mandatory in the management of patients hospitalized with COVID-19,” a coauthor said in a statement. “Admission hyperglycemia should not be overlooked, but rather detected and appropriately treated to improve the outcomes of COVID-19 patients with and without diabetes.”
