OBJECTIVE Diabetes and hyperglycemia are important risk factors for poor outcomes in hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We hypothesized that achieving glycemic control soon after admission, in both intensive care unit (ICU) and non-ICU settings, could affect outcomes in patients with COVID-19.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We analyzed pooled data from the Glytec national database including 1,544 patients with COVID-19 from 91 hospitals in 12 states. Patients were stratified according to achieved mean glucose category in mg/dL (≤7.77, 7.83–10, 10.1–13.88, and >13.88 mmol/L; ≤140, 141–180, 181–250, and >250 mg/dL) during days 2–3 in non-ICU patients or on day 2 in ICU patients. We conducted a survival analysis to determine the association between glucose category and hospital mortality.

RESULTS Overall, 18.1% (279/1,544) of patients died in the hospital. In non-ICU patients, severe hyperglycemia (blood glucose [BG] >13.88 mmol/L [250 mg/dL]) on days 2–3 was independently associated with high mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 7.17; 95% CI 2.62–19.62) compared with patients with BG <7.77 mmol/L (140 mg/dL). This relationship was not significant for admission glucose (HR 1.465; 95% CI 0.683–3.143). In patients admitted directly to the ICU, severe hyperglycemia on admission was associated with increased mortality (adjusted HR 3.14; 95% CI 1.44–6.88). This relationship was not significant on day 2 (HR 1.40; 95% CI 0.53–3.69). Hypoglycemia (BG <70 mg/dL) was also associated with increased mortality (odds ratio 2.2; 95% CI 1.35–3.60).

CONCLUSIONS Both hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia were associated with poor outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Admission glucose was a strong predictor of death among patients directly admitted to the ICU. Severe hyperglycemia after admission was a strong predictor of death among non-ICU patients.