Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33160030›Full record

ArticleDiabetes & metabolism2021

Is there an association between metformin use and clinical outcomes in diabetes patients with COVID-19?

Jun Young Do, Sang Won Kim, Jong Won Park, Kyu Hyang Cho, Seok Hui Kang

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Diabetes & metabolism, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
23citing papers in PubMed, 9 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

23 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Jun Young DoDivision of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
Sang Won KimMedical Research Centre, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University Medical Center, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
Jong Won ParkDivision of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
Kyu Hyang ChoDivision of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
Seok Hui KangDivision of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University, Daegu, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: kangkang@ynu.ac.kr.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimPrevious studies have reported inconsistent results regarding the association between metformin use and clinical outcomes in diabetes mellitus (DM) patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study aimed to evaluate the association between metformin use and clinical outcomes in DM patients with COVID-19.

methodsThis retrospective study was based on claims data. All diseases, including COVID-19, were defined using International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision (ICD-10) codes. Patients were divided into three groups depending on metformin use: CON (those not taking DM medication); N-MFOM (those taking DM medications other than metformin); and MFOM (those taking metformin for DM). Ultimately, 1865 patients were included; CON, N-MFOM and MFOM groups comprised 1301, 95 and 469 patients, respectively.

resultsKaplan-Meier analyses showed that MFOM patients had poorer survival rates than those in the CON group, but there were no significant differences in survival rates between MFOM and N-MFOM groups. Multivariate Cox regression analyses revealed more favourable survival in CON than in N-MFOM patients, but there was no statistically significant difference in MFOM vs the other groups. Also, there were no significant differences in rates of use of inotropes, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, conventional oxygen therapy, high-flow nasal cannulas or mechanical ventilators, nor in the rates of acute kidney injury or cardiac events across all study groups.

conclusionNo definite association could be found between metformin use and clinical outcomes, including survival. However, given the disproportionate participant numbers in our groups and small number of events, further studies are needed to determine whether the use of metformin has favourable or unfavourable effects in DM patients with COVID-19.

Indexed as

Acute Kidney InjuryAdultAgedCardiotonic AgentsCOVID-19Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2Extracorporeal Membrane OxygenationFemaleHeart ArrestHeart FailureHumansHypoglycemic AgentsKaplan-Meier EstimateMaleMetforminMiddle AgedCardiotonic AgentsHypoglycemic AgentsMetforminClinical outcomeCoronavirus diseaseCOVID-19Diabetes mellitusMetformin

Identifiers

PMID33160030
PMCPMC7640920

What Socratic holds

Texttitle and abstract
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.