Diabetic Drug ‘Metformin’ May have Protected Diabetic Patients from Severity of COVID-19

Highlights:

Diabetes drug ‘metformin’ helps in reducing the severity of COVID-19 infection
Metformin helps in reducing the cases with ventilator support on patients suffering from COVID-19 //
Metformin helps in reducing the lethal complication of COVID-19 infection

In an attempt to unwind the link between Diabetic patients and COVID-19 infection, a study conducted by the University of Minnesota Medical School revealed that Diabetes medications taken by COVID-19 infected patients could have placed them in the category of less severe case of COVID-19 ().

“This study continues to provide justification for further research on metformin for COVID-19. We’re fortunate to have biostatisticians and informatics experts in our Clinical and Translational Science Institute who are exceptional in observational analyses,” said Carolyn Bramante, M.D., an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School and an internist and pediatrician with M Health Fairview.

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‘Even though Diabetes is counted as a risk factor for COVID-19 infection, the drug ‘metformin’ used for the same, helps in protecting the patients from severe and lethal complications of the infection.’

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Diabetic Medication that Lowered the Severity of COVID-19 Infection?

As per the study, Metformin reduced the severity of COVID-19 infection.

This study was conducted among adults with type 2 diabetes who were taking medication for their high blood sugar, those taking metformin had a 45% lower risk of needing a breathing machine (ventilator) or dying from COVID-19 than similar individuals who were not taking metformin as their diabetic medication.

Another study, which was conducted earlier this year by Dr. Bramante revealed that metformin lowers the odds of emergency department visits, hospitalizations or death due to COVID-19 ().

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How did Metformin, a Diabetic Drug Helped Patients with COVID-19 Infection?

In a study that was conducted a few months ago, it was noted that when metformin was given as a treatment to COVID-19 patients with Diabetes it showed lower markers of inflammation, renal ischemia, and thrombosis, and fewer hospitalized days and intubation requirement ().

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How did COVID-19 Impact Diabetic Patients?

The COVID-19 pandemic overlapped the preexisting diabetes pandemic to only produce a fast and very vulnerable group of COVID-19 and diabetic patients.

It was clearly established that patients with diabetes mellitus (DM), severe obesity, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension were more likely to be infected with COVID-19 and were at a higher risk of death due to this infection ().

But some of the diabetic patients were shielded by the diabetic drug, metformin. In various test-tube experiments in which metformin stopped the virus from multiplying ().

Researchers say metformin is safe, inexpensive, and widely available. Thus, more clinical trials are warranted to further describe the relation between metformin and COVID-19 and other viral infections.

References:

Diabetes medications and associations with Covid-19 outcomes in the N3C database: A national retrospective cohort study - (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36395143/)
Observational Study of Metformin and Risk of Mortality in Patients Hospitalized with Covid-19 - (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7325185/)
Metformin use in patients hospitalized with COVID-19: lower inflammation, oxidative stress, and thrombotic risk markers and better clinical outcomes - (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8764325/)
Unwinding Link between Coronavirus and Diabetes Patient - (https://benthamscience.com/article/121988)
Metformin inhibition of mitochondrial ATP and DNA synthesis abrogates NLRP3 inflammasome activation and pulmonary inflammation - (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34115964)

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