High blood sugar level increases death risk even in non-diabetics: Study

Tel Aviv, Israel: High blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia) increases mortality risk, the risk being highest for those without diabetes and with controlled type 2 diabetes (T2D), suggests a recent study in the journal Diabetes/Metabolism Research and Reviews.

The association between inpatient hyperglycemia and mortality is well-established. However. evidence is inconsistent on whether this association is different among those with and without T2D. Hana'a Rayyan‐Assi, Clalit Health Services, Tel Aviv, Israel, and colleagues therefore examined whether the association (between  hyperglycemia and 30-day mortality) was modified by baseline blood sugar status. 

The researchers performed a a retrospective cohort study of 174,671 eligible hospitalized patients between 2012‐2015. They assessed the 30-day mortality during the first inpatient stay up to 30 days post discharge. Using logistic regression models, the adjusted association between hyperglycemia and mortality was assessed. 

Key findings of the study include:

"We found that admission hyperglycemia was a significant and independent risk factor for mortality among all hospitalized patients, regardless of baseline glycemic status," wrote the authors. 

"These findings may help medical staff identify potential increased risk of mortality upon hospital entry and discharge, and direct further research to assess how hyperglycemia control and proactive deterioration prevention throughout the entire inpatient stay may prevent adverse outcomes," they concluded. 

The study, "The Relationship between Inpatient Hyperglycemia and Mortality is Modified by Baseline Glycemic Status," is published in the journal Diabetes/Metabolism Research and Reviews.

DOI: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/dmrr.3420