Importance of Insulin Resistance in the COVID-19 Era: A Retrospective Analysis of a Single Center in Mexico

Introduction and objectives Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has been one of the main risk factors associated with mortality from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Insulin resistance (IR) is a preceding and underlying condition of T2DM, which has been thought that it could increase mortality from COVID-19 since it favors the entry of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 in the host cell. This article reports a biochemical study that estimated the prevalence of IR in COVID-19 patients and non-diabetic patients without COVID-19 history. It also assesses the prognostic role of IR in the evolution of patients with COVID-19. Materials and methods In this single-center, retrospective and cross-sectional design, we included patients with severe and critical COVID-19 and non-diabetic patients without COVID-19 history. We calculated the Homeostatic Model Assessment Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) and defined IR with a HOMA-IR >2.6. We estimated the prevalence of IR in both groups and used to assess the association between IR and mortality from severe and critical COVID-19. Results One hundred and twenty-three COVID-19 patients were included with a mean age of 53±15 years: 77 (62.6%) were men and 46 (37.4%) were women. Eighty (65%) patients were critical while the rest were severe. Forty-three (35%) patients died. Seventy-one (57.7%) patients had IR; there was no evidence of an association between IR and mortality from severe or critical COVID-19. Fifty-five non-diabetic patients without COVID-19 history were included with a median age of 40 (26-60) years; 35 (63.6%) were men and 20 (36.4%) were women. Nineteen (34.5%) people had IR. Conclusion IR was more prevalent in patients with severe and critical COVID-19 than in non-diabetic patients without COVID-19 history. Our results showed no evidence of the association between IR and mortality from severe and critical COVID-19.