Saturday, Dec. 12, 2020 : Issue #1088

TOP STORIES - Diabetes News & Research

Long-Term Outcomes of Bariatric Surgery

Degree of Diabetic Retinopathy Correlates with Cardiovascular Risk

Empagliflozin Effect on Major Adverse Kidney Events

Letter from the Editor

I was speaking with our intern Antonio Bess from FAMU College of Pharmacy about all the new things to make you look thinner and younger. You can’t go more than 10 miles on the highway without seeing billboards for Bariatric Surgery, Laser Fat Removal, or a clinic where they will freeze your fat off. There are also many professional-looking devices on the internet that claim to accomplish the same thing.

The question is, do they work and are they worth spending the money for? This week, Dr. Bess has the results of a study looking at one of the methods, Bariatric Surgery, and how this method can deliver the best results to our diabetes patients, in our Laterpay feature. This is a great read because, as you know, with New Year's right around the corner, your patients will be looking to you for advice.

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We can make a difference!

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Dave Joffe

Editor-in-chief

Fact: Using Glucose To Predict Severity of COVID-19 on Hospital Admission

New research has found that hyperglycemia at hospital admission — regardless of diabetes status — is a crucial predictor of COVID-19-related death and severity among non-critical patients. Among more than 11,000 patients with confirmed COVID-19 from March to May 2020 in 109 hospitals, admission hyperglycemia independently predicted progression from non-critical to critical condition and death, regardless of prior diabetes history. Those with abnormally high glucose levels were more than twice as likely to die from the virus than those with normal readings (41.4% vs. 15.7%). They also had an increased need for a ventilator and intensive care unit (ICU) admission.

The retrospective, multicenter study was based on 11,312 adult patients with confirmed COVID-19 in 109 hospitals. They had a mean age of 67 years, 57% were male, and 19% had a diagnosis of diabetes. A total of 20% (n = 2289) died during hospitalization. Overall all-cause mortality was 41.1% among those with admission blood glucose levels above 180 mg/dL, 33.0% for those with glucose levels 140-180 mg/dL, and 15.7% for levels below 140 mg/dL. All differences were significant (P < .0001), but there were no differences in mortality rates within each blood glucose category between patients with or without a previous diagnosis of diabetes.

After adjustment for confounding factors, elevated admission blood glucose level remained a significant predictor of death. Compared to < 140 mg/dL, the hazard ratios for 140-180 mg/dL and > 180 mg/dL were 1.48 and 1.50, respectively (both P < .001). Use of mechanical ventilation and admission to intensive care also rose with higher admission blood glucose levels. For the composite of death, mechanical ventilation, and/or ICU admission, odds ratios for 140-180 mg/dL and > 180 mg/dL compared with < 140 mg/dL were 1.70 and 2.02, respectively (both P < .001).

Ann Med. Published online November 23, 2020. Abstract

Diabetes in Control gratefully acknowledges the assistance of the following pharmacy doctoral candidates in the preparation of this week’s newsletters:

Alexandria Bartley, PharmD. Candidate, Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University, College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Antonio Bess, Pharm D Candidate, Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University School of Pharmacy

Shana Indawala, PharmD Candidate, University of South Florida Health, Taneja College of Pharmacy

Aleksandra Kusic, PharmD Candidate, Florida A&M University, College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Olivia Shenouda, PharmD. Candidate, Florida A&M University School of Pharmacy

Jonnessia Winslow, PharmD Candidate, South College School of Pharmacy

About LaterPay: You will notice that some of our articles are now marked with a small credit card icon. This means you will be asked to pay a small fee to access the full article text (the cost is $0.39 per article, and you will be charged only after you have reached $5.00 in article views). The costs of producing a newsletter like Diabetes in Control have been increasing, which is why we are asking our readers to help support our ability to continue to bring you quality information about diabetes through charging a minimal price to read certain articles. Thank you for helping to support Diabetes in Control.

Your Friends in Diabetes Care
Steve and Dave
Diabetes In Control
810 Bear Tavern Road Suite 102
Ewing, NJ, 08628
USA
www.diabetesincontrol.com

Diabetes In Control
810 Bear Tavern Rd, Suite 102
Ewing, NJ, 08628, United States

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Saturday, Dec. 12, 2020 : Issue #1088

TOP STORIES - Diabetes News & Research

TOP STORIES - Diabetes News and Research

Fact: Using Glucose To Predict Severity of COVID-19 on Hospital Admission

Diabetes in Control gratefully acknowledges the assistance of the following pharmacy doctoral candidates in the preparation of this week’s newsletters: