Hyperglycaemia and inpatient mortality and morbidity

Results and discussion

Hyperglycaemia was present in 14.1% of patients admitted to the hospital, of whom, 3.9% had no previously documented history of diabetes. Patients with new-onset hyperglycaemia on admission, had a significantly higher mortality rate than previously diagnosed diabetes (43.3% vs 17.9%; p=0.006). Logistic regression showed that plasma glucose on admission was independently associated with increased 1-year mortality (odds ratio 1.035; p=0.034). Table 1 shows the continuous variables significantly related with mortality at 1 year, while Table 2 shows the relationship of diabetes history and of plasma glucose on admission related with mortality and re-hospitalisation at 1 year.

Hyperglycaemia at admission was also an independent predictor of increased length of stay (p≤0.001). A longer inpatient course was associated with an increased 90-day and 1-year mortality (p<0.001 for both). After adjusting for confounding variables, admission plasma glucose and length of stay remained significant predictors of 1-year mortality outcome (p=0.034 and p=0.003, respectively). In April 2019, a higher 90-day and 1-year mortality rate were noted (p=0.001 and p=0.015, respectively), together with a higher proportion of patients admitted with new-onset hyperglycaemia (p=0.012). In January 2019, more previously known patients with diabetes were admitted with hyperglycaemia (p=0.012). Younger patients were more likely to be admitted in the summer. When comparing mortality at 90 days and 1 year, April 2019 had a higher mortality rate than expected (p=0.001 and p=0.015, respectively). Interestingly, this was not observed in April 2020.