PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - ILIAS, IOANNIS
AU  - JAHAJ, EDISON
AU  - KOKKORIS, STYLIANOS
AU  - ZERVAKIS, DIMITRIOS
AU  - TEMPERIKIDIS, PRODROMOS
AU  - MAGIRA, ELENI
AU  - PRATIKAKI, MARIA
AU  - VASSILIOU, ALICE G.
AU  - ROUTSI, CHRISTINA
AU  - KOTANIDOU, ANASTASIA
AU  - DIMOPOULOU, IOANNA
TI  - Clinical Study of Hyperglycemia and SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Intensive Care Unit Patients
AID  - 10.21873/invivo.12136
DP  - 2020 Sep 01
TA  - In Vivo
PG  - 3029--3032
VI  - 34
IP  - 5
4099  - http://iv.iiarjournals.org/content/34/5/3029.short
4100  - http://iv.iiarjournals.org/content/34/5/3029.full
SO  - In Vivo2020 Sep 01; 34
AB  - Background/Aim: Reports indicate that coronaviridae may inhibit insulin secretion. In this report we aimed to describe the course of glycemia in critically ill patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Patients and Methods: We studied 36 SARS-CoV-2 patients (with no history of diabetes) in one intensive care unit (ICU). All the patients were admitted for hypoxemic respiratory failure; all but four required mechanical ventilation. The mean (±SD) age of the patients was 64.7 (9.7) years; 27 were men; the mean (±SD) duration of ICU stay was 12.9 (8.3 days). Results: Twenty of 36 patients presented with hyperglycemia; brief intravenous infusions of short-acting insulin were administered in six patients. As of May 29 2020, 11 patients had died (seven with hyperglycemia). In 17 patients the Hyperglycemia Index [HGI; defined as the area under the curve of (hyper)glycemia level*time (h) divided by the total time in the ICU] was <16.21 mg/dl (0.90 mmol/l), whereas in three patients the HGI was ≥16.21 mg/dl (0.90 mol/l) and <32.25 mg/dl (1.79 mmol/l). Conclusion: In our series of ICU patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection, and no history of diabetes, a substantial number of patients had hyperglycemia, to a higher degree than would be expected by the stress of critical illness, lending credence to reports that speculated a tentative association between SARS-CoV-2 and hyperglycemia. This finding is important, since hyperglycemia can lead to further infectious complications.