Controlling your blood sugar level will help you fight covid-19 better

If you or your parents are suffering from diabetes then controlling it is the only key to stay safe from covid-19 infection.
protein for diabetics
Want to keep your diabetes in check? Try Moringa powder. Image courtesy: Shutterstock
ANI Updated: 13 Oct 2023, 15:35 pm IST
  • 97

If you are dealing with diabetes, we have some news for you. You are more prone to covid-19 and if this study is to be believed, your chances of recovery are very low. Don’t worry, there is still hope for you–especially if you control your sugar levels.

People with type-2 diabetes whose blood sugar is well-controlled fare much better than those with more poorly-controlled blood sugar, says a study was published in the journal Cell Metabolism.

Let’s read what the researchers have to say
“We were surprised to see such favourable outcomes in well-controlled blood glucose groups among patients with covid-19 and pre-existing type 2 diabetes,” says senior author of the study Hongliang Li of Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University

“Considering that people with diabetes had a much higher risk for death and various complications, and there are no specific drugs for covid-19, our findings indicate that controlling blood glucose well may act as an effective auxiliary approach to improve the prognosis of patients with covid-19 and pre-existing diabetes,” he said.

coronavirus
Your parents are more prone to covid-19 if they suffer from type-2 diabetes. Image courtesy: Shutterstock

More than 500 million people around the world have type-2 diabetes. While it was clear that people with this condition fare worse with covid-19, Li and colleagues wondered what role a person’s blood glucose control might have on those outcomes.

To find out, they conducted a retrospective longitudinal multi-centre study including 7,337 confirmed covid-19 cases enrolled among 19 hospitals in Hubei Province, China. Of those, 952 people had type-2 diabetes and the other 6,385 did not. Among those with diabetes, 282 had well-controlled blood glucose; the other 528 did not.

The data showed that people admitted to the hospital with covid-19 and type-2 diabetes required more medical interventions. Despite those interventions, they also had significantly higher mortality rate as well as a greater incidence of multiple organ injury.

However, those with well-controlled blood sugar and covid-19 were less likely to die than those whose blood glucose was poorly controlled. Meanwhile, those with well-managed type-2 diabetes also received less of other medical interventions including supplemental oxygen and/or ventilation and had fewer health complications.

These new findings offer three main messages for people with diabetes:

1. People with diabetes have a higher risk to die from covid-19 and develop more severe complications after infection. Therefore, they should take extra precautions to avoid becoming infected.

Select Topics of your interest and let us customize your feed.

PERSONALISE NOW

2. People with diabetes should take extra care to keep their blood sugar under control, especially while this pandemic persists.

3. Once infected, patients with diabetes should have their blood glucose level monitored and under control, in addition to any other needed treatments.

ageing parents
Exercise with your parents and encourage them to stay active. Image Courtesy: Shutterstock

This is what you can do to control your blood sugar levels
Exercise regularly, eat healthy food, don’t skip your medication, monitor your sugar levels on a daily basis, don’t drinking, don’t smoking, and stay in touch with your doctor. Phew! A long list we know, but hey it’s the need of the hour. So watch out folks and take care.

  • 97

Healthshots Wellness Newsletter

Get your Daily Dose of Wellness in your Inbox

Subscribe Now
Next Story