Reasons for Hospitalization Among Australians With Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes and COVID-19

Objective: Our aim in this study was to determine the reasons for hospitalization in Australian people with diabetes who contract COVID-19. Methods: All COVID-19 cases reported to the Victorian Department of Health and linked hospitalization data were assessed. We determined reasons for acute (0 to 30 days) and postacute (31 to 365 days) hospitalization among those with type 1 or type 2 diabetes and COVID-19, compared to those with COVID-19 and no diabetes, and to admissions before the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: Australians (N=13,302) with type 1 or type 2 diabetes were hospitalized in the state of Victoria in the 12 months after COVID-19 diagnosis. Respiratory diseases accounted for 40% of acute admissions among those with diabetes. Viral pneumonia was the leading cause of acute hospitalization among those with diabetes and constituted a larger proportion of admissions in those with compared to those without diabetes (adjusted prevalence ratio 1.87, 95% confidence interval 1.76 to 1.99). The distribution of postacute hospitalizations among those with diabetes aligned with that of people with diabetes before the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusions: Respiratory diseases are the leading cause of acute hospitalization in those with type 1 or type 2 diabetes and COVID-19. The reasons for postacute hospitalization resemble those in people with diabetes and no COVID-19. We reinforce the importance of community management of people with diabetes in the ongoing pandemic.