Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40175524›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2025

Metformin alleviates inflammatory response and severity rate of COVID-19 infection in elderly individuals.

Xuguang Chen, Shengyi Shi, Hanwen Sun, Lei Zhou, Heng Wang, Yan Li, Eric Gilson, Yiming Lu, Lan Hu, Jing Ye

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
–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

6 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Review
  6. Article
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

10 authors.

Xuguang Chen *Department of Geriatrics, Medical Center On Aging of Shanghai Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Shengyi Shi *IRP, Pôle Sino-Français de Recherches en Sciences du Vivant Et Génomique, RuiJin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, CNRS, Inserm, Université Côte d'Azur, Shanghai, China.
Hanwen Sun *Department of Geriatrics, Medical Center On Aging of Shanghai Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Lei ZhouDepartment of Geriatrics, Medical Center On Aging of Shanghai Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Heng WangEmergency Department, Shanghai Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Yan LiEmergency Department, Shanghai Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Eric GilsonIRP, Pôle Sino-Français de Recherches en Sciences du Vivant Et Génomique, RuiJin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, CNRS, Inserm, Université Côte d'Azur, Shanghai, China.
Yiming LuDepartment of Geriatrics, Medical Center On Aging of Shanghai Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Lan HuDepartment of Geriatrics, Medical Center On Aging of Shanghai Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China. nhhl@sina.com.
Jing YeDepartment of Geriatrics, Medical Center On Aging of Shanghai Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China. yj11254@rjh.com.cn.

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China 82225018Shanghai Municipal Education Commission Oriental Scholars Program, 2019
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

To evaluate the relationship between metformin and the outcome of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. The study included 413 patients with type 2 diabetes among the 5217 patients enrolled in a COVID-19 study, and analyzed whether receiving metformin therapy prior to infection was associated with risk of ICU admission, development of pneumonia and length of hospital stay. The study also examined the correlation between metformin treatment and levels of IL-6, CRP, serum ferritin (SF), lymphocyte, CD4 at admission, as well as the increase in open reading frame 1ab gene cycle threshold (ORF1abCT) after one week of hospitalization. There were no differences in age, sex, BMI, comorbidities, number of vaccine doses or eGFR between patients receiving and not receiving metformin therapy. In the ICU group, the proportion of patients not receiving metformin was 92.5%, significantly higher than the 69.2% of patients not admitted to ICU (p = 0.010). In the pneumonia group, the proportion of patients not receiving metformin was 78.6%, significantly higher than the 67.2% in the non-pneumonia group (p = 0.020). Compared with patients receiving no treatment, those receiving metformin had a shorter hospital stay (12.1 ± 5.9 days vs. 14.5 ± 8.2 days, p = 0.001). In the patients ≥ 60 years old, those receiving treatment had significantly lower levels of IL-6 (median, 12.3 pg/ml vs. 4.0 pg/ml, p = 0.026) and significantly higher levels of Lymphocyte (median, 1.2 × 10

Indexed as

COVID-19COVID-19 Drug TreatmentDiabetes Mellitus, Type 2Hypoglycemic AgentsInflammationMetforminAgedAged, 80 and overC-Reactive ProteinFemaleHospitalizationHumansIntensive Care UnitsInterleukin-6Length of StayMaleC-Reactive ProteinHypoglycemic AgentsInterleukin-6MetforminCOVID-19ElderlyMetforminType 2 diabetes mellitus

Identifiers

PMID40175524
PMCPMC11965306

What Socratic holds

Texttitle and abstract
LicenceCC BY
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.