Author(s)

Kone Djakaridja^1*, Kone Famoussa², Kadiane-Oussou Juliette¹, Yapo Martine Tatiana¹, Kone Salifou², Karidioula Jean Marie¹, Kra Ouffoue¹

¹Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, University Teaching Hospital of Bouaké, Bouaké, Ivory Coast.
²Department of Internal Medicine, University Teaching Hospital of Bouaké, Bouaké, Ivory Coast.

Context: COVID-19 is a global public health problem and diabetes mellitus is a poor prognostic factor for the disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the epidemiological, clinical and evolutionary characteristics of COVID-19 in diabetic patients in Bouaké. Patients and Methods: This was a retrospective study carried out from January 2021 to December 2022. We included patients with diabetes known before COVID-19 infection and having a positive COVID-19 RT-PCR. Data were analyzed with Epi info7 software. Results: Among 1122 infected patients, 71 patients (6.3%) were diabetic, the sex ratio was 1.3 and the mean age was 58.7 years. Type 2 diabetes (97.2%) was predominant and the average seniority was 3.1 years. Arterial hypertension (46.5%) was the main comorbidity. The main clinical signs were cough (69%), dyspnea (43.7%) and fever (23.9%). Oxygen saturation was <95% in 16.9% of cases. Hyperglycemia was noted in 72.8% with an average blood sugar level of 1.5 g/l. Diabetes treatment was done with oral antidiabetics (53.5%) and insulin therapy (46.5%). Management of COVID-19 was symptomatic. Mortality was 19.7%. It was statistically correlated with the presence of comorbidity (p = 0.009), the short duration of hospitalization (p = 0.0001) and lung saturation < 95% (p = 0.0001). Conclusion: Diabetes mellitus remains one of the most important comorbidities of severe Covid-19. The death rate of diabetics was high. Hence the need to vaccinate people living with diabetes.

Diabetes Mellitus, COVID-19, Vaccination, Bouaké, Ivory Coast

Djakaridja, K. , Famoussa, K. , Juliette, K. , Tatiana, Y. , Salifou, K. , Marie, K. and Ouffoue, K. (2023) Diabetes Mellitus and COVID-19 at the Bouake University Hospital Center (Côte d’Ivoire). Advances in Infectious Diseases, 13, 564-573. doi: 10.4236/aid.2023.134046.