Diabetes Does Not Increase the Risk of Hospitalization Due to COVID-19 in Patients Aged 50 Years or Older in Primary Care—APHOSDIAB—COVID-19 Multicenter Study

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify clinical, analytical, and sociodemographic variables associated with the need for hospital admission in people over 50 years infected with SARS-CoV-2 and to assess whether diabetes mellitus conditions the risk of hospitalization. A multicenter case-control study analyzing electronic medical records in patients with COVID-19 from 1 March 2020 to 30 April 2021 was conducted. We included 790 patients: 295 cases admitted to the hospital and 495 controls. Under half (n = 386, 48.8%) were women, and 8.5% were active smokers. The main comorbidities were hypertension (50.5%), dyslipidemia, obesity, and diabetes (37.5%). Multivariable logistic regression showed that hospital admission was associated with age above 65 years (OR from 2.45 to 3.89, ascending with age group); male sex (OR 2.15, 95% CI 1.47–3.15), fever (OR 4.31, 95% CI 2.87–6.47), cough (OR 1.89, 95% CI 1.28–2.80), asthenia/malaise (OR 2.04, 95% CI 1.38–3.03), dyspnea (4.69, 95% CI 3.00–7.33), confusion (OR 8.87, 95% CI 1.68–46.78), and a history of hypertension (OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.08–2.41) or immunosuppression (OR 4.97, 95% CI 1.45–17.09). Diabetes was not associated with increased risk of hospital admission (OR 1.18, 95% CI 0.80–1.72; p = 0.38). Diabetes did not increase the risk of hospital admission in people over 50 years old, but advanced age, male sex, fever, cough, asthenia, dyspnea/confusion, and hypertension or immunosuppression did.