RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Diabetes is one of the most common associated comorbidity with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pneumonia patients. Coagulation disorders with D-dimer levels are increased in both diseases. This study aimed to compare the levels of D-dimer in DM and non-DM patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and correlate it with the disease severity. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional hospital-based study. It was conducted at royal care hospital, isolation COVID-19 Centre in 2021. The study included 130 patients with COVID-19 who fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Data were collected through a structured datasheet. The disease was diagnosed by a nasal swab polymerase chain reaction (PCR) Participants were divided into diabetics and non-diabetics depending on the history from the datasheet. The data were analysed with Statistical Package of Social Science (SPSS) version 23. RESULTS: The study showed that 73.1% of the participants were males and 26.9% were females. The most frequent age group was >65 years. The percentages of diabetics and non-diabetics, among the study participants, were found to be 41.5% and 58.5%, respectively. Moreover, 52.3% were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). This study revealed that D-dimer was higher compared with diabetes mellitus. The diabetics were associated with higher levels of D-dimer compared to non-diabetics. Regarding the correlation between the level of D-dimer and severity of COVID-19, it was found that there is a significant association, as the ICU patients were associated with higher levels of D-dimer in comparison with non-ICU patients. CONCLUSION: This study concluded that there is a significant association between the high D-dimer level and severity of COVID-19 among diabetic patients.