CRP might aid in assessment of the severity and improvement of type 2 diabetes mellitus in COVID-19
Emerging evidence show that among patients with COVID-19, the risk of death of diabetes is 50% higher than those without diabetes, especially in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). BMI turned out to be independently associated with the primary outcome. When considering variables on admission, dyspnoea, lymphopaenia, and increased AST and CRP levels were independent prognostic factors for severe course of COVID-19.
Recent studies show that there is a bidirectional relationship between COVID-19 and diabetes. On the one hand, diabetes is associated with an increased risk of severe COVID-19. On the other hand, COVID-19 may induce new onset diabetes in normal people. The impaired immune system together with metabolic imbalance during T2DM increases the susceptibility of patients to several pathogenic agents such as the SARS-CoV-2.
Several studies verified a relationship between high levels of CRP and elevated risk for T2DM. Based on the multitude of clinical observations, CRP appears to be positively correlated with hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), which is the indicator of overall glycemic control in diabetics and mortality correlation with COVID-19. Collectively, serum CRP might aid in assessment the severity and improvement of T2DM in COVID-19.
Aidian offers quantitative point of care tests for CRP and HbA1c. Read more about our QuikRead go system.
References
- Luan Y-y et al. (2021), Update Advances on C-Reactive Protein in COVID-19 and Other Viral Infections. Front. Immunol. 12:720363 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2021.720363
- Cariou B. et al., Phenotypic characteristics and prognosis of inpatients with COVID-19 and diabetes: the CORONADO study. Diabetologia 63, 1500–1515 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00125-020-05180-x