%0 Journal Article
%T Hospital Mortality and Morbidity in Diabetic Patients with COVID-19: A Retrospective Analysis from the UAE.
%A Mohamed YS
%A Mukhtar M
%A Elmalti A
%A Kheirallah K
%A Panigrahi D
%A Abu-Rish EY
%A Bani I
%A Nasor EM
%A Ahmed W
%A Alzoubi A
%J Int J Environ Res Public Health
%V 21
%N 6
%D 2024 May 29
%M 38928943
%F 4.614
%R 10.3390/ijerph21060697
%X <B>BACKGROUND: </B>Although we are four years into the pandemic, there is still conflicting evidence regarding the clinical outcomes of diabetic patients hospitalized with COVID-19. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the in-hospital mortality and morbidity of diabetic versus nondiabetic patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in the Northern UAE Emirates.<BR><B>METHODS: </B>A retrospective analysis was performed on clinical data from patients with or without diabetes mellitus (DM) who were admitted to the isolation hospital with COVID-19 during the first and second waves of the disease (March 2020 to April 2021). The assessed endpoints were all-cause in-hospital mortality, length of hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and mechanical ventilation.<BR><B>RESULTS: </B>A total of 427 patients were included in the analysis, of whom 335 (78.5%) had DM. Compared to nondiabetics, diabetic COVID-19 patients had a significantly longer in-hospital stay (odds ratio (OR) = 2.35; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.19-4.62; p = 0.014), and a significantly higher frequency of ICU admission (OR = 4.50; 95% CI = 1.66-7.34; p = 0.002). The need for mechanical ventilation was not significantly different between the two groups (OR: distorted estimates; p = 0.996). Importantly, the overall in-hospital mortality was significantly higher among diabetic patients compared to their nondiabetic counterparts (OR = 2.26; 95% CI = 1.08-4.73; p = 0.03).<BR><B>CONCLUSIONS: </B>DM was associated with a more arduous course of COVID-19, including a higher mortality rate, a longer overall hospital stay, and a higher frequency of ICU admission. Our results highlight the importance of DM control in COVID-19 patients to minimize the risk of detrimental clinical outcomes.