The NHS has released new data that reveals the groups which are at the highest risk of coronavirus. It reports that nearly one-fourth of the coronavirus positive patients who lost their lives to the virus in hospitals were also diabetic. This report is based on the data collected between 31 March to 12 May, where 5873 out of 22,332 patients (26%) were either having type 1 or type 2 diabetes as an underlying medical condition.
This report examined different medical conditions such as diabetes, (26%), dementia (18%), breathing problems (15%), and CKD (14%) showed up as co-occurring diseases in addition to the COVID-19.
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The doctors in intensive care and UK’s Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre attest to the unscientific details that most of the coronavirus patients who exhibited severe symptoms had diabetes.
While analyzing the overall risk, the National Health Services, UK says that if one in four persons has diabetes it marks the 4.8 million British citizens at high health risk, eventually death by corona.
Partha Kar (National Speciality Adviser on Coronavirus) shares that people with diabetes have more chances to die from Covid-19. The first report was released a couple of days where these risk factors were mention however there was no separation of diabetes type one and diabetes type two cases.
Kar, told the media that NHS is trying to help the diabetic patients to manage their symptoms by giving them online instructions, video discussions with consultants, and exclusive help service.
Diabetes is not just a risk factor for coronavirus but for a number of other diseases as well including heart diseases. While diabetes and heart disease make some links, it might be hard to understand the link between diabetes and coronavirus for a majority of people. Diabetes itself doesn’t initiate the coronavirus infection.
As many people know that coronavirus is a respiratory illness, diabetes is an inability of the body to metabolize blood sugar. Apparently, these two have nothing in common but diabetes increases the risk of death by coronavirus because it adds pressure on all visceral organs, including lungs.
Bridget Turner, Director of Policy and Care Improvement at the Diabetes UK says that diabetic people losing their lives to the coronavirus demands extra care, support, and health care facilities for diabetic patients.
She said while it is unclear on how exactly diabetes increases the risk of death by a coronavirus, researchers should be focused to find answers before the situation goes out of the hands. It is only possible if there is more data on diabetic patients and how they are managing their health during the coronavirus lockdown. If needed, they should be facilitated with online appointments and routine clinical checkups on a preference basis.
The cases reporting death by coronavirus show that most of these patients were over 60 years of age. In addition to this, Alzheimer’s Research UK enumerates the shocking revealing that that one-fifth of 4048 total people who have died from coronavirus had dementia.
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During this difficult period, this news telling risk groups for coronavirus might increase panic, especially among elderly friends and family members. The health authorities request people to pay attention to their old and sick relatives, friends, neighbors, and anyone around them so that they could be saved before it is too late.
The link between diabetes, dementia, and coronavirus is still unclear but people with underlying medical conditions are at increased risk of death by a coronavirus. Age just adds up to the risk irrespective of the underlying medical conditions that include diabetes, dementia, hypertension, all of which might lead to death.
