Impact of Stress Hyperglycemia in a Cohort of Brazilian Patients With COVID-19

Purpose To evaluate the impact of stress hyperglycemia (SH) in a cohort of Brazilian patients with COVID-19 admitted to a tertiary care level hospital. Methods This retrospective cohort study enrolled 754 patients with COVID-19 hospitalized at Hospital Estadual de Bauru, São Paulo, in 2020. Data were collected from the E-pront system and covered sociodemographic, clinical, and laboratory aspects, including mechanical ventilation, comorbidities, and outcomes. Included patients were those >18 years old, with confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis, who required hospitalization, with or without preexisting type 2 diabetes (T2DM), or who developed SH. Patients younger than 18 years, with other types of diabetes, or incomplete data were excluded. Results Patients with SH had longer hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) stay (P < .001) as well as longer mechanical ventilation duration (P < .001). Additionally, this group needed a higher number of orotracheal intubations (P < .001) and presented higher mortality rates (P < .001) and fewer discharges 284 (P < .001) compared to patients with T2DM and normoglycemia. Conclusions Patients who developed SH presented poorer clinical outcomes; needed more frequently orotracheal intubation, mechanical ventilation, and longer hospitalization and ICU stay; and had higher mortality rates and fewer discharges compared to patients with T2DM and normoglycemia.