- Upon analyzing data from a diverse patient population, the researchers found that individuals who had been taking metformin, a drug for type 2 diabetes, were less likely to die of COVID-19 than those not on metformin.
- Their study also highlighted the fact that Black people made up a disproportionate number of those who tested positive for COVID-19.
- According to the researchers, this disparity is likely due to socioeconomic factors, lack of access to healthcare, and a higher risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 among Black populations.
Researchers have found that people with diabetes undergoing treatment with the medication metformin are at significantly less risk of death due to COVID-19 compared with those not taking the medication.
The study, which appears in the journal Frontiers in Endocrinology, also found that African American study participants were disproportionately more likely to contract the virus than white participants.
COVID-19 risk factors
A critical area of COVID-19 research has focused on the risk factors that may make a person more likely to either get a SARS-CoV-2 infection or die from COVID-19 if they develop it.
SARS-CoV-2 is a novel coronavirus, and while it bears some similarities to other coronaviruses, there is still much that researchers are yet to uncover about how and why it affects some people more than others and how to mitigate the risks.
Studies have begun to emerge demonstrating associations between specific health issues, demographic characteristics, and the chances of contracting SARS-CoV-2 or dying from COVID-19. This research backs up early anecdotal evidence and observational studies.
The more studies that provide convincing evidence of these links, the more robust the overall findings. Meta-analyses of the available scientific literature can then demonstrate the overall picture.
In the present study, the researchers were interested in exploring the patient characteristics associated with COVID-19 in United States populations that included many Black people.
The researchers note that Black people tend to be at higher risk of key comorbidities that could make them more likely to develop COVID-19, including diabetes.
The researchers also highlight that COVID-19 disproportionately affects African Americans, as well as various marginalized groups — findings that reflect already existing widespread health inequities resulting from systemic racism.
More than 25,000 patients
The researchers conducted a retrospective observational study, looking at 25,326 people who underwent testing for COVID-19 at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Hospital between February 25 and June 22, 2020.
The researchers looked at de-identified electronic health record data to provide them with demographic and medical information for each person.
A total of 604 people tested positive for COVID-19, which the researchers note is a relatively low rate. They speculate that this may be due to the number of asymptomatic hospital staff and patients receiving elective procedures who had tests.
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