Diabetes is common factor in young Covid-19 victims in Vid

Nagpur: A 21-yr-old girl died in Akola due to Covid-19 on June 25. This girl, the youngest Covid-19 victim in the region, was a patient of type 1 diabetes. On June 26, a 40-yr-old woman from Dobi Nagar in Nagpur died at home. She later tested positive for Covid-19. This woman too was a patient of diabetes mellitus. Analysis of young victims of Covid-19 in Vidarbha reveals that 68% of the deceased below 50 years of age had diabetes.
Vidarbha has recorded 143 deaths till June 26. Out of these 73 (51%) have history of diabetes. But, when it comes to young victims, this percentage goes up to 68%. In Vidarbha, 44 deceased out of total 143 were below 50 years of age. Out of these 44, total 30 had diabetic conditions. Four of the six youngest Covid-19 victims in region had diabetes.
The youngest Covid-19 victim of Vidarbha, a girl from Hingoli, who died in Akola on June 25, was a patient of type 1 diabetes. The second youngest — a 22-yr-old boy in Nagpur — had schizophrenia and hypertension, but not diabetes. The third youngest of the region — a 29-yr-old man from Pandhrabodi — had jaundice, liver damage, and uncontrolled sugar. The fourth youngest victim — a 30-yr-old man from Dhamangaon Badhe in Buldhana district — too had a diabetic condition, though it was diagnosed only during Covid-19 treatment.
In many cases, patients were unaware of their diabetic conditions until they were admitted in hospital and their sugar level was checked.
“Young age diabetes has become very common in Central India. Patients generally remain asymptomatic for longer time, and hence they don’t get themselves checked. But, in Covid-19 age, neglecting diabetic conditions can result in serious consequences,” said leading diabetologist Dr Sunil Gupta.
Diabetes is a well-established risk factor for Covid-19 and the risk increases with poor sugar control. Similarly, obese individuals with body mass index (BMI) greater than 35kg/m2 are at nearly 7-fold higher risk of requiring mechanical ventilation. So, doctors have suggested that those who already have diabetes should stay away from infection.
“For people living with diabetes, it is important to take precautions to avoid the virus. Diabetes can land you in trouble, especially post lockdown, as infection can catch you from all directions now,” said physician Dr Nirmal Jaiswal. “Most important point is to keep sugar under control. There is no need to panic if your sugar is under control,” he added.