'The difference in mortality is striking': Sask. doctor warns of COVID-19 risk in people with diabetes
A Saskatoon doctor is urging people with diabetes to get vaccinated for COVID-19.
Mike Prystajecky, a general internist at City Hospital, said the stats are shocking when it comes to COVID-19 and diabetes.
“In the general public, about three per cent of people who acquire COVID-19 will need to be admitted to hospital. If you’re diabetic, that’s about 17 per cent, so it’s a six-fold increase,” Dr. Prystajecky said.
“It is a bit of a surprise. The difference in mortality is striking.”
According to the Saskatchewan Health Authority, people with diabetes who catch COVID-19 are 5.3 times more likely to be hospitalized, 7.5 times more likely to end up in the ICU and 6.9 times more likely to die.
People with COVID-19 and diabetes tend to be older as well, according to the health authority. The average age of people who contract COVID-19 with diabetes is 57, compared to 31 without diabetes.
Prystajecky said other risk factors tend to accompany diabetes, including the higher age, obesity and cardiovascular disease.
“But even in studies where they controlled for those other risk factors, we see that diabetics are at an increased risk of dying and that likely relates to altered immune function,” he said.
He encouraged people with diabetes to be extra cautious, saying “prevention is the best medicine,” especially with the Delta variant.
“The tighter your control is the more likely you are to have a favourable outcome.”
A PARAMEDIC’S EXPERIENCE
Dennis Opekokew is a paramedic for the Athabasca Health Authority. He has diabetes and hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, and has been taking extra precaution throughout the pandemic.
Opekokew said while it’s been stressful, he can control his condition with medication, unlike people with uncontrolled diabetes or hypertension.
“Just having one of those makes it harder for the body to fight a virus coming in, which would be COVID. If you have two or more issues going on with your system, then it makes it all the more difficult to fight off the virus.”
As a frontline health care worker, Opekokew was able to quickly get his COVID-19 vaccine.
“It was a bit of a relief knowing I could still get COVID with the vaccine, but I won’t get it as serious. It made me feel better about it. I worry about catching it, contracting it all the time,” he said.
ADVICE FROM DIABETES CANADA
Diabetes Canada said there are several reasons why someone with diabetes is more likely to have a complicated case of COVID-19.
“COVID-19, like other viral infections, can cause immune and inflammatory responses in which the body essential attacks itself to try and get rid of the virus,” Amanda Sterczyk, manager of research and public policy, told CTV.
“People living with diabetes may already have some low-grade inflammation and higher blood sugar levels that can further worsen the inflammation. In addition, people with diabetes may have problems with blood vessels that can increase risk for blood clots.”
Like Prystajecky, Sterczyk said managing diabetes and practicing healthy habits, such as a proper diet and physical activity, will help your body fight COVID-19 if you contract it.
“It’s really important that people get vaccinated when they’re eligible, that they continue to follow public health guidelines,” Sterczyk said.
“Practicing good hand hygiene, which is really important, especially if you are testing your blood sugar or administering any sort of medication, you need to make sure you’ve washed your hands ahead of time.”
According to Diabetes Canada, many don’t even know they have the disease.
“There are almost 1.7 million Canadians who are living with type 2 diabetes and aren’t even aware of this,” Sterczyk said.
“If you have any family history of diabetes, if you’re over the age of 40, you should be getting tested every year.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Made-in-Newfoundland vodka claims top prize at worldwide competition
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.