People who are type 1 diabetic are more likely to die than who are type 2 diabetic, according to the National Health Service, England. The NHS also said that diabetes increased the risk of dying in patients.
The NHS made the observation after they found that one in three corona patients who died in the UK were diabetic. And among the diabetic, they found at type 1 patients were at much risk.
The National Health Service said that type 1 diabetic patients were three and a half times more likely to die if they are struck with Covid-19 than non-diabetic patients. Meanwhile, type 2 diabetics are twice as likely to die, the NHS said.
The NHS England also pointed out that age was a major factor in both the diabetic conditions. While the risk of dying is lower in people under 40 years, it increases with age, the NHS said.
According to available data, 7,466 people who died in hospital in England had type 2 diabetes and 365 had type 1.
NHS England’s national clinical director for diabetes and obesity Prof Jonathan Valabhji said that their study showed the extent of the risk of coronavirus for diabetic people along with the risk involved with the two types of diabetes. He also mentioned that the study showed that higher blood glucose levels and obesity augmented the risk in both types of diabetes.
Jon Cohen, emeritus professor of infectious diseases at Brighton and Sussex medical school, said: “Bacterial infections are more common and more severe in diabetes. This has generally not been thought to be such a problem with viral infections such as coronavirus, but any severe infection can cause problems with insulin control so this too will likely contribute to the increased mortality rate in type 1 patients.
“So diabetic patients are probably not at greater risk of catching coronavirus, but do have a greater risk of becoming seriously ill if they do catch it.”
The study also found that the overall death rate for people with diabetes doubled in the early stages of the pandemic. Among both type 1 and type 2 patients, men, BAME people and those living in more deprived communities were at higher risk. In both types of sufferer, those with underlying kidney disease or heart failure and/or who previously had a stroke, were also at higher risk.
The study also found that the overall death rate in diabetic patients doubled during the early stage of the pandemic. It also said that diabetic people of black or Asian ethnicity, those living in more deprived communities, were at higher risk. The NHS pointed out that diabetic people with pre-existing heart failure, kidney complications and stroke are at higher risk.
