Prevalence of co-morbidities and their association with mortality in patients with COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIM: To estimate the prevalence of both cardiometabolic and other co-morbidities in patients with COVID-19, and to estimate the increased risk of severity of disease and mortality in people with co-morbidities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Medline, Scopus and the World Health Organization website were searched for global research on COVID-19 conducted from January 2019 up to 23 April 2020. Study inclusion was restricted to English language publications, original articles that reported the prevalence of co-morbidities in individuals with COVID-19, and case series including more than 10 patients. Eighteen studies were selected for inclusion. Data were analysed using random effects meta-analysis models. RESULTS: Eighteen studies with a total of 14 558 individuals were identified. The pooled prevalence for co-morbidities in patients with COVID-19 disease was 22.9% (95% CI: 15.8 to 29.9) for hypertension, 11.5% (9.7 to 13.4) for diabetes, and 9.7% (6.8 to 12.6) for cardiovascular disease (CVD). For chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic kidney disease (CKD), cerebrovascular disease and cancer, the pooled prevalences were all less than 4%. With the exception of cerebrovascular disease, all the other co-morbidities presented a significantly increased risk for having severe COVID-19. In addition, the risk of mortality was significantly increased in individuals with CVD, COPD, CKD, cerebrovascular disease and cancer. CONCLUSIONS: In individuals with COVID-19, the presence of co-morbidities (both cardiometabolic and other) is associated with a higher risk of severe COVID-19 and mortality. These findings have important implications for public health with regard to risk stratification and future planning.

Time to reposition sulfonylureas in type 2 diabetes management in Indian context: A pragmatic practical approach.

Sulfonylureas (SU) continue to be a vital therapeutic category of oral hypoglycemic agents (OHAs) for the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Physicians consider modern SU (gliclazide and glimepiride) as "safe and smart" choices for T2DM management. The presence of multiple international guidelines and scarcity of a national guideline may contribute to the challenges faced by few physicians in choosing the right therapeutic strategy. The role of SU in diabetes management is explicit, and the present consensus aims to emphasize the benefits and reposition SU in India. This pragmatic, practical approach aims to define expert recommendations for the physicians to improve caregivers' knowledge of the management of T2DM, leading to superior patient outcomes.

The role of oral semaglutide in managing type 2 diabetes in Indian clinical settings: Addressing the unmet needs.

AIMS: Despite their established benefits, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) remain underutilized for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) management, which indicates that subcutaneous injection is an unfavorable mode of delivery from the patient's perspective. This review summarizes existing challenges related to medication adherence and the use of antihyperglycemia injectables, revisits the established safety and efficacy of oral semaglutide, and explores its features and considerations for use among the Indian T2DM population. METHODS: We performed a literature search using MEDLINE and the National Institutes of Health Clinical Trials Registry from July 1, 2016, to July 1, 2021, to identify publications on oral semaglutide approval, T2DM treatment guidelines, and clinical evidence for oral drug formulation. RESULTS: Oral semaglutide is the first oral GLP-1 RA approved for T2DM patients based on phase 3, randomized PIONEER trials. The multitargeted action of this drug offers glycemic control, weight control, and cardiovascular, renal, and additional benefits, including patient convenience and enhanced medication adherence. In addition to achieving glycemic control, the cost of semaglutide is reported to be lower than other GLP-1 RA in the West, thus potentially mitigating the economic burden that appears to be high among the Indian population. CONCLUSIONS: Currently, there is no data available on oral semaglutide in Indian clinical settings. However, significant improvements in glycemic control, cardiac and renal benefits, as well as weight loss across clinical trials should encourage clinicians to prioritize oral semaglutide over other antidiabetic agents.

Diabetes Monotherapies versus Metformin-Based Combination Therapy for the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes.

Step-wise addition of antihyperglycemic agents (AHA) after the initiation of metformin monotherapy has been the traditional approach for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) world-wide. Emerging evidence increasingly suggests that metformin-based combination therapy, especially with the newer AHA that lowers HbA1c glucose-dependently and do not potentiate hypoglycemia, could be a potentially better option for durable glycemic control with good tolerability compared to diabetes monotherapy. In this review, we descriptively analyzed the evidence available from the systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomized head-to-head trials that reported the efficacy and safety outcomes of diabetes monotherapy, metformin-based combination therapies, and monotherapy versus metformin-based combination therapies.

COVID-19 associated mucormycosis: A Descriptive Multisite Study from India.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Mucormycosis is an invasive fungal infection and carries a significant morbidity and mortality. A number of cases of mucormycosis have been reported in association with COVID-19. In this study, a consortium of clinicians from various parts of India studied clinical profile of COVID-19 associated mucormycosis (CAM) and this analysis is presented here. METHODS: Investigators from multiple sites in India were involved in this study. Clinical details included the treatment and severity of COVID-19, associated morbidities, as well as the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of mucormycosis. These data were collected using google spreadsheet at one centre. Descriptive analysis was done. RESULTS: There were 115 patients with CAM. Importantly, all patients had received corticosteroids. Diabetes was present in 85.2% of patients and 13.9% of patients had newly detected diabetes. The most common site of involvement was rhino-orbital. Mortality occurred in 25 (21.7%) patients. On logistic regression analysis, CT scan-based score for severity of lung involvement was associated with mortality. CONCLUSION: Universal administration of corticosteroids in our patients is notable. A large majority of patients had diabetes, while mortality was seen in ∼1/5th of patients, lower as compared to recently published data.

SAVOR-TIMI to DECLARE-TIMI: A Review on Cardiovascular Outcome Trials of Incretin-modulators and Gliflozins.

INTRODUCTION: Since 2008 United State (US) food drug administration mandate, several newer anti-diabetic drugs (ADD) have undergone a mandatory cardiovascular (CV) outcome trial (CVOT) in type diabetes (T2DM) patients with high CV risk. These includes CVOT done with dipeptidyl-peptidase-4 inhibitors, sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RAs). Several double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled CVOT have been presented and published in the last decade (2008-2018). AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: We systematically searched the database of PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2018 using specific key words. Subsequently, we pooled the data of different cardiovascular endpoints and made a comparative forest plot using GraphPad software Inc. Prism Version 8, US. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Saxagliptin, alogliptin, sitagliptin and linagliptin are CV neutral drugs. Saxagliptin showed a significantly higher hospitalization due to heart failure (HHF). Empagliflozin and canagliflozin have shown a significant reduction in composite of 3-point major cardiac adverse events (3P-MACE). Additionally, empagliflozin, canagliflozin and dapagliflozin significantly reduced the HHF and the composite of CV death or HHF. Moreover, empagliflozin showed significant reduction in CV- and all-cause death in patients with T2DM with established CV disease. While both exendin-backbone-based GLP-1RAs such as lixisenatide and extended-release exenatide were CV neutral; GLP-1-backbone-based GLP-1RAs such as liraglutide, semaglutide and albiglutide shown a significant reduction in the composite of 3-P MACE. Additionally, liraglutide shown a significant reduction in CV- and all-cause death. Moreover, semaglutide reduced non-fatal stroke and albiglutide reduced myocardial infarction, while extended-release exenatide reduced all-cause death; however, P value of significance for these outcomes should be considered nominal.

Management of Type 2 diabetes in Ramadan: Low-ratio premix insulin working group practical advice.

The challenge of insulin use during Ramadan could be minimized, if people with diabetes are metabolically stable and are provided with structured education for at least 2-3 months pre-Ramadan. Although, American diabetes association (ADA) recommendations 2010 and South Asian Consensus Guideline 2012 deal with management of diabetes in Ramadan and changes in insulin dosage, no specific guidance on widely prescribed low-ratio premix insulin is currently available. Hence, the working group for insulin therapy in Ramadan, after collective analysis, evaluation, and opinion from clinical practice, have formulated a practical advice to empower physicians with pre-Ramadan preparation, dose adjustment, and treatment algorithm for self-titration of low-ratio premix insulin.