COVID-19 and Diabetes: Patterns Emerge

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This transcript has been edited for clarity.

Here is another update on what we know about COVID-19 in people with diabetes. The data that we have suggest that people with diabetes are actually not at increased risk for catching the novel coronavirus, but once they become infected, they may do less well, particularly if they're in an ICU setting.

However, we don't know if there are any differences between people with type 1 versus type 2 diabetes, or between people whose diabetes is well controlled versus less well controlled. We do know that younger people as a whole do better than older people. The more comorbidities present, such as cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease, the higher the risk for mortality and doing poorly.

Historically, we've believed that people with higher glucose levels are likely to be at greater risk for infection than those with more normal glucose levels. This is because high glucose levels can inhibit white cell function. We obviously want our patients to be as well controlled as possible in order to help them do better.

Some Patterns Emerge

I have now seen patients with diabetes who have been infected with COVID-19 and heard cases of many others.