European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine

Abstract

Background and Objective
Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that can cause respiratory illness in humans. They are called “corona” because of crown-like spikes on the surface of the virus. Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and the common cold are examples of coronaviruses that cause illness in humans.
The primary mode of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is via exposure to respiratory droplets carrying the infectious virus from close contact or droplet transmission from pre-symptomatic, asymptomatic, or symptomatic individuals harbouring the virus
This study is conducted to analyse the extent of association between COVID-19 & Diabetes Mellitus and its correlation with the inflammatory markers as it is still unclear if diabetes interferes in the prognosis of COVID-19
Material & Methods
A Cross-sectional study was conducted over a period of 6 months from April 2021–September 2021.Among 149 RT-PCR positive COVID-19 patients the random blood sugar levels, CT chest severity score & C-Reactive Protein was compared among the diabetic & non-diabetic population in ACS Medical college & hospital Chennai.
Results
The study shows that out of 149 COVID-19 positive patients, 88 (59.1%) were diabetic & 61 (40.9%) were non-diabetic. Patients with diabetes had significantly higher CT chest severity score and elevated C-reactive protein than non-diabetic patients.
Conclusion
The interaction between covid-19 & diabetes could be bi-directional, with SARS-CoV-2 potentially worsening pre-existing diabetes.