Elevated Inflammatory Markers in Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus Exacerbated by COVID-19

Abstract

Background: Type-2 Diabetes mellitus is a chronic systemic disease characterized by an increased blood glu-cose concentration which may be due to decreased effect of insulin on target tissues. blood glucose concentra-tion which may be due to decreased effect of insulin on target tissues. Several retrospective studies in Wuhan indicated that diabetes was one of the most prevalent comorbidities in COVID-19 patients. The effects of this comorbidity on inflammatory markers in southwest Nigeria are a serious health concern. Methods: This multicenter cross-sectional study investigated inflammatory markers in 400 participants catego-rized into distinct groups, including Type-2DM subjects without a history of COVID-19, COVID-19-recovered T2DM subjects at the onset of recovery (0 Month), COVID-19-recovered T2DM subjects three months post-recovery (3 Month), COVID-19-recovered subjects without T2DM, and apparently healthy controls. Blood samples were collected and analyzed for plasma Hs-Crp, D-dimer, and C-peptide using immuno-turbidimetry and Interleukin-6 levels using ELISA in all groups. Results: Results were interpreted by one-way ANOVA with post-hoc Tukey’s tests, which were used to com-pare the various groups in the study. Participants with T2DM recovering from COVID-19 exhibited significant-ly elevated levels of High Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (HsCRP) (4.19 ± 0.67 mg/L), C-Peptide (4.84 ± 0.89 ng/ml), Interleukin-6 (IL-6) (46.01 ± 7.21 pg/ml), and D-Dimer (1.19 ± 0.43 mg/L) compared to healthy con-trols (p < 0.001). Three months post-recovery, these markers significantly decreased (p < 0.001), indicating a resolution of inflammatory responses. Correlation analysis revealed significant positive associations between glycemic control and inflammatory markers (p < 0.001). Conclusion: These findings underscore the exacerbated inflammatory responses in COVID-19 patients with T2DM and highlight the dynamic nature of inflammation during recovery.