Clinical considerations in patients with diabetes during times of COVID19: An update on lifestyle factors and antihyperglycemic drugs with focus on India.

BACKGROUND Diabetes is recognized as an important comorbidity in patients with COVID-19 and a large amount of literature has become available regarding this. The aim of this article is to review the literature regarding various aspects of association between diabetes and COVID-19 and to highlight clinically relevant points with focus on India. METHODS We searched Pubmed and Google Scholar databases for articles regarding diabetes and COVID-19 published between March 19, 2020 and August 30, 2020. RESULTS Diabetes and poor glycemic control are associated with increased severity and mortality in patients with COVID-19. Several clinical scenarios about hyperglycemia and COVID-19 are identified and each of these needs specific management strategies. CONCLUSION It is prudent to maintain good glycemic control in patients with diabetes in order to minimize the complications of COVID-19. There is a need for well conducted studies to asses the role of individual antihyperglycemic therapies in COVID-19 and also the behavior of new onset diabetes diagnosed either after COVID-19 infection or during this time.