New results show that non-Hispanic black patients with COVID-19 and type 1 diabetes have an additional risk of diabetic ketoacidosis beyond the risk of diabetes or minority status.
Non-Hispanic black patients with type 1 diabetes and COVID-19 were almost four times more likely to be hospitalized with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) than non-Hispanic white patients. This is evident from new research published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
Previous studies have shown that COVID-19 disproportionately affects racial and ethnic minority groups with higher infection and death rates. The same minority groups with type 1 diabetes have also been shown to have an increased risk of DKA and the associated mortality. So, according to the study, it’s important to understand how COVID-19 and type 1 diabetes interact and affect outcomes.
The new results show that non-Hispanic black patients with COVID-19 and type 1 diabetes have an additional risk of DKA beyond the risk of diabetes or minority status, according to a press release.
Study author Kathryn Sumpter, MD, a pediatric endocrinologist in Le Bonheur, examined 180 patients with type 1 diabetes and laboratory-confirmed COVID-19. The patients came from 52 clinical facilities, including the Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. Sumpter aimed to evaluate cases of DKA in these patients to determine whether minorities were at increased risk when monitored for gender, age, insurance, and recent hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels.
“We know that type 2 diabetes is a risk factor for worse COVID-19 outcomes, but less is known about type 1 diabetes and COVID,” Sumpter said in the press release. “This study allowed us to examine the intersection of type 1 diabetes and COVID while also identifying the racial inequalities in DKA for these patients.”
The results of the study show that non-Hispanic black patients were 55% more likely to have DKA and COVID-19 than non-Hispanic whites were 13% more likely to develop DKA and COVID-19. Hispanics had almost twice the chance of presenting themselves with DKA compared to non-Hispanic whites, who were found not to be statistically significant by researchers.
“A combination of factors results in higher DKA rates in minority type 1 diabetes patients with COVID-19 that are related to social and structural risks,” Sumpter said in the press release. “Social determinants of health, including income levels, education, racial discrimination and inadequate access to health care, impact these populations with devastating complications from type 1 diabetes and COVID-19.”
Based on her findings, Sumpter said interventions in these areas are essential to prevent poor outcomes that affect minorities differently.
REFERENCE
Health Differences in Type 1 Diabetes and COVID-19 Infection Research by Dr. Kathryn Sumpter [news release]. Happiness; March 17, 2021. https://www.lebonheur.org/news/health-disparities-in-type-1-diabetes-and-covid-19-infection-research-by-dr-kathryn-sumpter. Accessed March 23, 2021.
