Due to the difficult epidemiological situation in our patients with diabetes, there are questions about the health risks associated with COVID-19 infection.
Chief Physician of the West German Center for Diabetes and Health prof. MD S. Martin kindly agreed to clarify the situation:
“Diabetes has been mentioned in the media as a risk factor for severe COVID-19. This has led to considerable concern in the entire group of patients with diabetes mellitus, both type 1 and type 2, with poorly or well exposed blood sugar levels. An analysis of data from China found that a diagnosis of diabetes was associated with a double risk of being admitted to intensive care and a triple risk of death.
In a study from Italy, 17% people with severe COVID-19 had diabetes. However, in these studies, neither the type of diabetes, nor how well the blood sugar level is set, was taken into account.
Currently, German scientists suggest that people with well-controlled diabetes do not have an increased risk. With poor HbA1c (glycated hemoglobin) values and the presence of comorbidities such as cardiovascular disease, the risk is likely to increase significantly.
At the same time, a risk factor that has received little attention so far is overweight. A research team from the Netherlands noted that the majority of COVID 19 patients in intensive care units are overweight or even obese.
Thus, people with well-controlled diabetes need not worry. However, overweight people should try to normalize their weight. This will help not only protect yourself from the severe course of COVID-19, but also from many other diseases.”
If you are interested in an effective method of losing weight, then you can contact us. The West German Center for Diabetes and Health has developed a unique weight loss program that results in an average weight loss of 10 kg.
