The largest study to investigate the role of inflammatory biomarkers in hospitalized COVID-19 patients uncovers risk factors for worse health outcomes in those with diabetes.

More than 40% of hospitalized individuals with COVID-19 have diabetes. But why is having diabetes a major risk factor for a more serious COVID-19 illness? Researchers now are starting to put the puzzle together.

An international, multi-center observational study of more than 2,000 hospitalized COVID-19 patients found that certain attributes of diabetes, including high suPAR levels and high blood sugar levels, are correlated with worse COVID-19 outcomes.

The research, published in Diabetes Care, suggests that the patients with diabetes (approximately 33.5% of the study participants) have higher levels of inflammatory biomarkers compared to those without diabetes, exacerbating the effects COVID can have on the body.

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