A study has found that people with diabetes are almost twice as likely to die with Covid than those without.
The research, conducted by the University of Aberdeen, also found that those with diabetes are three times as likely to be critically or severely ill with the virus.
In collaboration with King’s College London, researchers also found that the risk of complications declines if patients are managing their condition well by keeping in control of blood sugar levels.
The findings come from 158 studies, including more than 270,000 participants, to determine how Covid affects people with diabetes.
It also took into account patients’ location and highlighted healthcare resources available to them.
Researchers found that patients in China, Korea and the Middle East were at higher risk of death than those from European countries or the US due to differences in healthcare systems.
Stavroula Kastora, who worked on the study alongside Professor Mirela Delibegovic and Professor Phyo Myint, said: “We found that following a Covid-19 infection, the risk of death for patients with diabetes was significantly increased in comparison to patients without diabetes.
“Equally, collective data from studies around the globe suggested that patients with diabetes had a significantly higher risk of requiring an intensive care admission and supplementary oxygen or being admitted in a critical condition in comparison to patients without diabetes.
“However, we found that the studies that reported patient data from the EU or USA displayed less extreme differences between the patient groups.
“Ultimately, we have identified a disparity in Covid outcomes between the eastern and western world.”