Comparing between survived and deceased patients with Diabetes Mellitus and COVID-19 in Bangladesh: A cross- sectional study from COVID-19 dedicated hospital

The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak was reported to cause significantly higher mortality and morbidity among patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). Although Bangladesh is amongst the top 10 countries with diabetic people, data on these patients with COVID-19 is scarce from this region. This study aimed to illustrate the clinical features and outcomes of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 and DM in Bangladesh while comparing survivors and deceased. This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted among RT-PCR confirmed COVID-19 patients with pre-existing Diabetes Mellitus in a specialized COVID-19 hospital in Bangladesh. Data from hospital records were analyzed. Among 921 RT-PCR confirmed COVID-19 admitted during the study period, 231 ([~]25%) patients with pre-existing DM (median age 60 years) were included in the analysis. The death rate among all hospitalized patients (with and without DM) was 2.8% compared to 11.3% among diabetic patients. The median hospital stay was 13 days (IQR 10.5, 17.0) for survivors and five days (IQR 2.0-8.3) for the deceased. The clinical features were not significantly different between survivors and the deceased. However, deceased patients had significantly lower blood oxygen level (85% vs 93%, p <0.001), and higher neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (7.9 vs 4.5, p 0.003) and serum ferritin (946.0 vs 425.0 ng/ml, p 0.03). Glycemic status was poor in both groups. This study would help identify a subgroup of diabetic patients with COVID-19 who are at higher risk of in-hospital death and improve clinical decision making.