Characteristics and Diabetes Control in Adults With Type 1 Diabetes Admitted With COVID-19 Infection

Diabetes has been identified as one of the major risk factors for developing severe forms of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (1). While data show a higher incidence of severe acute respiratory distress syndrome and increased mortality in patients with diabetes, the majority of these patients have type 2 diabetes (2), and less is known about the implications of type 1 diabetes in COVID-19. A report from the U.K. describes the COVID-19 mortality rate as significantly higher in older patients with type 1 diabetes compared with those with type 2 diabetes (3). Among young adults with type 1 diabetes in the U.S., diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) was commonly encountered in those diagnosed with COVID-19 (4). Little is known about adults with type 1 diabetes and COVID-19 who require hospitalization. The goal of this study was to define the clinical characteristics, outpatient diabetes management and control, and disease course of people with type 1 diabetes who were admitted to a tertiary care center for COVID-19. We retrospectively reviewed the charts and collected data for all patients with an established diagnosis of …