Clinical Trials of COVID-19 Therapies Should Account for Diabetes and Hyperglycemia

J Diabetes Sci Technol. 2021 Sep;15(5):1181-1187. doi: 10.1177/19322968211013369. Epub 2021 Jun 23.

Abstract

Complications of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) occur with increased frequency in people admitted to the hospital with diabetes or hyperglycemia. The increased risk for COVID-19 infections in the presence of these metabolic conditions is in part due to overlapping pathophysiologic features of COVID-19, diabetes, and glucose control. Various antiviral treatments are being tested in COVID-19 patients. We believe that in these trials, it will be useful to evaluate treatment effect differences in patients stratified according to whether they have diabetes or hyperglycemia. In this way, it will be possible to better facilitate development of antiviral treatments that are most specifically beneficial for the large subset of COVID-19 patients who have diabetes or hyperglycemia.

Keywords: COVID-19; antiviral; clinical trial; diabetes; hospital; hyperglycemia.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Antiviral Agents / therapeutic use
  • Blood Glucose / metabolism
  • COVID-19 / blood
  • COVID-19 / complications
  • COVID-19 / epidemiology*
  • COVID-19 / therapy*
  • Clinical Trials as Topic* / methods
  • Clinical Trials as Topic* / statistics & numerical data
  • Data Accuracy
  • Diabetes Mellitus* / blood
  • Diabetes Mellitus* / epidemiology
  • Diabetes Mellitus* / therapy
  • Hospitalization / statistics & numerical data
  • Humans
  • Hyperglycemia* / blood
  • Hyperglycemia* / epidemiology
  • Hyperglycemia* / therapy
  • Research Design
  • Risk Factors
  • SARS-CoV-2

Substances

  • Antiviral Agents
  • Blood Glucose