Correlation of Hyperglycaemia with Inflammatory Marker and Biomarker of Thromboembolism in Patients with Covid 19

Abstract

Introduction: COVID-19 constitutes a significant global public health challenge. New mutants are on the rise and sufficient information is not available for the management of infection by the same. Studies suggest that the combination of elevated glucose possessed high risk for mortality from COVID-19.

Objective: 1. To Study the correlation between hyperglycaemia and inflammatory markers in Covid-19.

1. To Study the correlation between hyperglycaemia and biomarker of thromboembolism in Covid-19

Methodology: Between August and September 2021, a study was carried out on 40 adult patients who tested positive for COVID-19 using RT-PCR. Among the participants, 20 had diabetes, and the other 20 did not have diabetes. The glucose levels were assessed by Hexokinase methods. Severity of Covid 19 was assessed by Neutrophil Lymphocyte ratio (NLR) detected by Flowcytometry and D-dimer measured by Turbidimetric Immunoassay. The study commenced after obtaining approval from the Institutional Ethical Committee, and informed consent was obtained from every patient before the study initiation.

Results: The median age of patients included in this study is 43. Analysis of COVID-positive patients revealed that diabetic individuals had higher mean WBC and Neutrophil counts, while their mean Lymphocyte count was lower compared to non-diabetic patients. Consequently, the Neutrophil Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) was significantly higher in COVID-positive patients with diabetes (Mean NLR 6.8380 versus 3.3050). Moreover, D-dimer levels were notably higher in COVID-positive diabetic patients in comparison to COVID-positive non-diabetic patients (P = 0.048). Additionally, a positive correlation was observed through Pearson correlation between random blood sugar levels and inflammatory markers like NLR (P = 0.015, r = 0.194) and D- dimer (P = 0.048, r = 0.474).

Conclusion: A positive correlation was observed between hyperglycaemia and elevated inflammation levels, as well as a hypercoagulable state associated with more severe illness. Consequently, hyperglycaemia poses as a risk factor for the increased severity of COVID-19. Monitoring plasma glucose levels upon hospitalization could potentially aid in identifying a subset of patients predisposed to a worse clinical course.