Type 2 diabetics are TWICE as likely to die from Covid-19... and obesity increases the risk even further, new research shows

Patients with Type 2 diabetes are twice as likely to die from coronavirus – and being obese increases the risk even further, research reveals today.

A third of deaths from the virus have occurred among individuals with diabetes, which is linked to excess weight and a lack of exercise.

The study by the NHS and Imperial College London also found that those with Type 1 diabetes –which is not linked to obesity – were three and a half times more likely to die.

The findings provide further evidence that certain groups of patients are at much higher risk of suffering fatal complications.

A third of deaths from coronavirus have occurred among individuals with diabetes, which is linked to excess weight and a lack of exercise. Stock: Glucometer used to manage the condition 

But they also suggest that lifestyle strongly influences someone’s susceptibility to the virus.

Lead researcher Professor Jonathan Valabhji, the NHS’s national clinical director for diabetes and obesity, analysed the deaths of 23,804 patients in England from coronavirus between March 1 and May 11.

Professor Valabhji, also a consultant diabetologist at Imperial College Hospitals, found that 31.4 per cent had Type 2 diabetes and 1.5 per cent had Type 1.

The study also found that patients with Type 2 diabetes doubled their risk again if they were severely obese, with a body mass index (BMI) above 40.

They were twice as likely to die than those patients with the condition who were in the overweight or normal category. Patients with Type 2 diabetes who also had high blood glucose levels because their condition was poorly controlled increased their risk of death by another 60 per cent.

Professor Valabhji said: ‘This research shows the extent of the risk of coronavirus for people with diabetes and the different risks for those with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Importantly, it also shows that higher blood glucose levels and obesity further increase the risk in both types of diabetes.

‘This can be worrying news but we would like to reassure people that the NHS is here for anyone with concerns about diabetes – and has put extra measures in place to help people and keep them safe, including online sites to support people to care for themselves, digital consultations, and a dedicated new helpline for advice and support for people treated with insulin.’ 

The Government is carrying out a major review into whether obesity, ethnicity and gender increase their chances of dying or becoming severely ill with the virus.

The findings, which are due within the next few weeks, could influence whether these groups are given tailored advice regarding social distancing and working in non-frontline NHS roles.

At least 3.9 million Britons have diabetes and the number has doubled in the past 20 years in line with rising levels of obesity.

Up to 90 per cent have Type 2 which usually develops after the age of 40 but is being increasingly seen in children and teenagers.

Bridget Turner, director of policy at Diabetes UK, said: ‘This new data sheds much-needed light on which groups of people with diabetes are more likely to experience poor outcomes if they catch coronavirus. 

It also shows that the risk of death for people with diabetes is higher than for people without the condition – with the risk for people with Type 1 being higher than for those with Type 2 – and that a history of higher blood sugar levels as well as obesity seem to be contributing factors.

‘It’s very important to remember that the risk of dying from coronavirus – for people with and without diabetes – remains very low, and that as cases of coronavirus decline, the risk to everyone of catching the disease will reduce in turn.’

WHY DOES DIABETES RAISE THE RISK OF COVID-19? 

Diabetes puts people at a higher risk of developing severe COVID-19 because it makes the immune system weaker, scientists say.

The illness, which affects more than four million people in the UK, is caused by abnormal levels of sugar in the blood. For most people this takes the form of Type 2 diabetes, in which there is too much sugar in the blood.

This, researchers, say, thickens the blood and reduces its ability to carry substances around the body at speed.

Dr Hajira Dambha-Miller, a GP and specialist in diabetes, said a patient's blood becomes 'like treacle' as a result of high sugar levels.

'Physically, it's harder for the immune system to get to the virus,' she said. 'The virus bugs do a lot of damage before the immune system even realises it's there.'

Therefore, when someone is infected with the coronavirus, it may take longer for their body to respond and fight it off, and the response may be less effective when it does begin.

Their illness doesn't make a diabetic person any more likely to catch the virus itself - that is indiscriminate - just less likely to be able to recover quickly.

Dr Dambha-Miller added: 'When the body does kick in, it won't work as it should do. The immune cells are damaged because they've been saturated in sugar for years and don't work the way they should.'  

The American Diabetes Association says it's not clear if COVID-19 will pose a difference in risk between type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

But the risk of getting very sick from COVID-19 is likely to be lower if diabetes is well-managed no matter whether it is type 1 or type 2.

The Association explains that people who have diabetes often have other health problems, such as obesity, heart disease or high blood pressure, which in turn contribute more to their risk of dying with COVID-19.

The ADA said: 'Having heart disease or other complications in addition to diabetes could worsen the chance of getting seriously ill from COVID-19, like other viral infections, because your body’s ability to fight off an infection is compromised.

'Viral infections can also increase inflammation, or internal swelling, in people with diabetes. This is also caused by above-target blood sugars, and both could contribute to more severe complications.' 

People of black African or Caribbean, or south Asian, backgrounds are more likely to develop diabetes and have also been found to be at more risk of dying if they catch the coronavirus.