Open AccessCOVID-19 outcomes in people with diabetes in Wales: a secondary analysis of the ABCD audit
Author(s) -
David M. Williams,
Jim Davies,
Benjamin Field,
Rajiv Gandhi,
Sophie Harris,
Kamlesh Khunti,
Dinesh Nagi,
Parth Narendran,
Rustam Rea,
Yue Ruan,
Robert E. Ryder,
Kinga A Várnai,
Sarah H. Wild,
Emma G. Wilmot,
Thinzar Min,
Julia Platts,
Richard Chudleigh,
Jeffrey W. Stephens,
Sam Rice
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
the british journal of diabetes
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2397-6241
pISSN - 2397-6233
DOI - 10.15277/bjd.2021.319
Subject(s) - medicine , diabetes mellitus , audit , retrospective cohort study , pediatrics , covid-19 , cohort , emergency medicine , disease , endocrinology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , management , economics
Background: People with diabetes and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have a significantly greater risk of death and/or intensive care unit (ICU) admission. The Association of British Clinical Diabetologists (ABCD) recently audited outcomes for people hospitalised in the UK with diabetes and COVID-19.Methods: The ABCD COVID-19 and diabetes audit was a retrospective audit of patients admitted to UK hospitals with diabetes and COVID-19 between March and December 2020. Data related to patients admitted in Wales were compared with patients admitted in England and Scotland.Results: In Wales, 40/82 (48.7%) patients with diabetes had COVID-19-related mortality compared with 1,149/2,916 (39.1%) in the UK group (p=0.08). The Welsh cohort were more likely to be Caucasian, have a higher body mass index and HbA1c, be diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy and prescribed a sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitor or insulin than those in England and Scotland. Patients admitted to the ICU in Wales were more likely to be male and have type 2 diabetes.Conclusions: Patients admitted to hospital with diabetes and COVID-19 in Wales had a poorer outcome compared with England and Scotland. This disparity may reflect social inequality, differences in cardiovascular risk factors and/or differences in diabetes medications between hospitalised patients in Wales and the UK.