Characteristics, Outcomes, and Associations of Venous Thromboembolism in Diabetic Patients Infected With COVID-19 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

TL;DR

This study finds that diabetes and longer hospital stays are linked to higher risk of blood clots in hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Riyadh.

Contribution

The study identifies diabetes as a significant risk factor for venous thromboembolism in hospitalized diabetic COVID-19 patients in Saudi Arabia.

Findings

25.49% of hospitalized diabetic COVID-19 patients developed venous thromboembolism.

Diabetes was a significant risk factor (odds ratio = 4.11) for VTE in these patients.

Longer hospital stays were associated with increased VTE severity (p = 0.0072).

Abstract

Background

The associations and risk factors for venous thromboembolism (VTE) among hospitalized COVID-19 patients remain ambiguous in the literature, with some conflicting findings, especially in Saudi Arabia. In this study, we aim to elaborate on these data by examining regional patient populations and exploring the incidence, lab findings, and outcomes of VTE among hospitalized COVID-19 patients known to have diabetes mellitus (DM).

Methodology

This cross-sectional study was conducted at King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh. The BestCare system was used to collect patients’ data between September 2020 and February 2022. JMP15 was used for data analysis. Frequencies and percentages were used for categorical data, and median and interquartile ranges were used for quantitative data. The chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis rank-sum tests were used to assess the difference between categorical and quantitative variables, respectively. Nominal logistical regression was used to assess diabetes as a risk factor for developing VTE among COVID-19 patients.

Results

Data from 153 admitted patients were collected after they satisfied the inclusion criteria. Of these patients, 39 (25.49%) developed VTE. The demographic data included age group, gender, and DM status presented as frequencies and percentages. Through bivariate analysis, patients with longer hospital stays had at least one episode of VTE (p = 0.0072). Using nominal logistic regression analysis, diabetes as a risk factor (odds ratio = 4.11, confidence interval = 0.955-5.05, p = 0.0287) was significantly associated with the development of VTE in COVID-19 patients.

Conclusions

Based on our study, diabetes proved significant when evaluating the possible factors regarding VTE development in COVID-19 patients. In addition, the length of stay also played a critical role in the severity of VTE in COVID-19 patients. Similar studies should be conducted on a national scale in Saudi Arabia to accomplish two goals: first, to gain further understanding of the impact of the variables investigated in our population, and second, to publish data that are more generalizable to the larger population of Saudi Arabia.