COVID-19 Evidence Alerts
from McMaster PLUSTM

Current best evidence for clinical care (more info)

Etiology de Almeida-Pititto B, Dualib PM, Zajdenverg L, et al. Severity and mortality of COVID 19 in patients with diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease: a meta-analysis. Diabetol Metab Syndr. 2020 Aug 31;12:75. doi: 10.1186/s13098-020-00586-4. eCollection 2020.
Abstract

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and the use of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin II receptor blockers (ACEI/ARB) with severity (invasive mechanical ventilation or intensive care unit admission or O2 saturation < 90%) and mortality of COVID-19 cases.

METHODS: Systematic review of the PubMed, Cochrane Library and SciELO databases was performed to identify relevant articles published from December 2019 to 6th May 2020. Forty articles were included involving 18.012 COVID-19 patients.

RESULTS: The random-effect meta-analysis showed that diabetes mellitus and hypertension were moderately associated respectively with severity and mortality for COVID-19: Diabetes [OR 2.35 95% CI 1.80-3.06 and OR 2.50 95% CI 1.74-3.59] Hypertension: [OR 2.98 95% CI 2.37-3.75 and OR 2.88 (2.22-3.74)]. Cardiovascular disease was strongly associated with both severity and mortality, respectively [OR 4.02 (2.76-5.86) and OR 6.34 (3.71-10.84)]. On the contrary, the use of ACEI/ARB, was not associate with severity of COVID-19.

CONCLUSION: In conclusion, diabetes, hypertension and especially cardiovascular disease, are important risk factors for severity and mortality in COVID-19 infected people and are targets that must be intensively addressed in the management of this infection.

Ratings
Discipline / Specialty Area Score
Infectious Disease
Hospital Doctor/Hospitalists
Internal Medicine
Cardiology
Respirology/Pulmonology
Intensivist/Critical Care
Comments from MORE raters

Cardiology rater

This is one of the largest meta-analysis associating cardiovascular disease, diabetes and hypertension with COVID-19 outcomes. Data are still limited.

Cardiology rater

Any pro-thrombotic condition favours severe COVID-19. Patients should be screened for systemically circulating amidolytic thrombin activity. https://escientificlibrary.com/microbiology/Article/ESJM-V1-1006.pdf

Infectious Disease rater

This confirms what is already known from a large series and other reviews/analyses.

Infectious Disease rater

This article is very important and I have learned a lot.