Diabetes common in coronavirus underlying health conditions

The first NHS breakdown of underlying health conditions among those to have died in English hospitals from coronavirus has found that one in four people had diabetes.

NHS England figures reveal that of the 22,332 people recorded to have died in hospital in England between 31 March and 12 May, 26 per cent suffered from either type 1 or type 2 diabetes. The other commonest comorbidities were dementia (18 per cent), serious breathing problems (15 per cent) and chronic kidney disease (14 per cent). A further one in ten suffered from ischaemic heart disease.

Health bosses say that the one in four figure confirmed that diabetes – which 4.8 million Britons are estimated to have – increases the risk of death from coronavirus. The breakdown did not specify how many of the 5,873 diabetics who died had type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune condition not related to lifestyle, and type 2 diabetes, which is closely linked to being overweight.

Experts think that diabetes increases the risk of dying from coronavirus because diabetes puts strain on the heart and other organs.

Partha Kar, NHS England’s diabetes specialist, said: “It is clear that people with diabetes are more at risk of dying from Covid-19. More detailed analysis is currently underway to understand the link between the two, although initial findings indicate that the threat in people under 40 continues to be very low.”