Inpatient hyperglycaemia, and impact on morbidity, mortality and re-hospitalisation rates

Abstract

Introduction Hyperglycaemia is related to poorer outcomes among hospital inpatients. We investigated the impact of hyperglycaemia at admission on length of hospital stay, readmission rate and mortality rate. Method We retrospectively analysed the records of 1,132 patients admitted to hospital in January 2019, April 2019, August 2019 and April 2020. Results Hyperglycaemia was present in 14.1% of patients. New-onset hyperglycaemia on admission (in 3.9% of patients) was related to a higher mortality rate than in patients known to have diabetes admitted with hyperglycaemia (43.3% vs 17.9%; p=0.006). Mortality at 90 days and 1 year increased with higher admission glucose levels (p=0.03 and p=0.005, respectively), severe hyperglycaemia (>20 mmol/L) having a 1-year mortality of 34.3%. After accounting for confounding variables, admission glucose and length of stay remained significant predictors of 1-year mortality (p=0.034 and p=0.003, respectively). Conclusion Hyperglycaemia is an important prognostic marker and may indicate a more severe illness. These patients should be highlighted for a greater level of care.