PREVALENCE AND OUTCOMES OF DIABETES AMONG COVID-19 PATIENTS IN DUHOK COVID-19 HEALTH FACILITIES: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Background
The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) among patients with COVID-19, examining the relationship between COVID-19 severity and T2DM in hospitalized patients, detecting T2DM outcomes in COVID-19 patients, and identifying the vaccination rates of COVID-19 patients with T2DM.

Material and methods
A prospective, cross-sectional study was conducted on Duhok (Iraqi Kurdistan) hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory characteristics of all confirmed COVID-19 by RT-PCR with coexisting T2DM were collected between early November 2021 and late April 2022. T2DM patients with HbA1c levels ≥7% were considered a poor control group, while those <7% were considered a good control group.

Results
Out of 530 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, 158 (29.81%) were T2DM. Among 158 patients, 23 (14.56%) were vaccinated, of whom 17 (10.76%) were fully vaccinated and 6 (3.80%) partially vaccinated. Considering patient outcomes, chronic pulmonary disease (p=0.0106), obesity (p=<0.0001), patients on combined oral antidiabetic and insulin (p=0.0204), and poorly controlled DM (p=<0.0001) were significant predictors of mortality.

Conclusions
The prevalence of T2DM in hospitalized COVID-19 patients was relatively high in Duhok. In contrast with the previous studies reported in the literature, the COVID-19 vaccination coverage was unsatisfactory. Therefore, raising awareness concerning health education about the severity and mortality rates of COVID-19 should be mandatory to achieve better disease prognosis.