Among 174 patients, the median age is 59 (age range: 49-67) and 76 out of 174 are men. Compared with patients without diabetes, patients with diabetes had more cardiovascular disease (32.4% vs 14.6%) and less fever (59.5% vs 83.2%), but had no significant differences in gender and age. Diabetes group has lower lymphocytes, red blood cells, and hemoglobin than non-diabetes group. These data showed that the COVID‐19 patients with diabetes are at higher risk of excessive uncontrolled inflammation responses and hypercoagulable state, which may contribute to a poorer prognosis of COVID‐19. Diabetes should be considered as a risk factor for a rapid progression and bad prognosis of COVID‐19. More intensive attention should be paid to patients with diabetes, in case of rapid deterioration

- Note: for more journal articles supporting this claim, please see the children of this node.

Diabetes is a risk factor for the progression and prognosis of COVID-19

1 in every 10 people currently have diabetes, and over 1 in every 4 people have prediabetes. See Statistics about Diabetes | ADA for more details.

Diabetes | Prevalence and Life-Time Risk (IN-PROGRESS)

- Type II (80 - 90% of all cases)
- Type I (about 15% of all cases)
- Prediabetes (nor really diabetes but can lead to it)
- Gestational Diabetes

Types of Diabetes

- Diabetes is the leading cause of lower-limb amputations, adult blindness, and kidney failure in the US, according to the CDC.
- In USA, diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death, according to the ADA. 

Diabetes | Impact

- Weight loss can reverse Type II diabetes: https://youtu.be/0z03xkwFbw4
- Personalized diet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0z03xkwFbw4

Promising Research Areas

- American Addiction Centers
- American Diabetes Association
- Diabetes UK
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
- Healthline Media
- NIH | National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

Diabetes References (IN-PROGRESS)

Mindfulness based cognitive therapy (MBCT) has been shown to effectively treat depression in patients with diabetes, as well as improve their quality of life and glucose levels. More studies are needed to assess the effectiveness of MBCT on the physical health of patients with diabetes.

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy and Diabetes

The study was supposed to show the effect of a more integrative approach to people’s health care, both mental and physical. The results showed that those who received integrative care reported much higher scores on their PHQ – 9’s (Patient Healthcare Questionaire – 9) and A1C compared to those who were in the control group. through stratified analyses, it was also shown that A1c was greater in those who were female or older and received integrative care compared to those who were in the comparison group.

The effect of Integrating Primary Care Health Services on Diabetes and Depression: a Multi - site impact evaluation on the US - Mexico Border

The impact of chronic illnesses on mental health can be extremely negative. The mental health disorders that were being observed were depression, anxiety, or disordered eating. More than one-third of those who were screened were diagnosed with one of these three disorders. The types of screenings that patients were told to go through were Beck’s depression inventory, the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders – 41 anxiety screens, and the eating disorder screen for primary care. 

Mental Health Issues in Adolescents and Young Adults with Type 1 Diabetes: prevalence and Impact on Glycaemic control

Because individuals with diabetes do not produce adequate amounts of insulin, they must actively manage their blood sugar levels. This involves taking medications designed to either replace insulin or stimulate its production, as well as strictly controlling the amount of carbohydrates and sugars in their diet.

Managing Diabetes

Diabetes is a collection of diseases in which blood glucose levels (i.e., blood sugar) is too high. The most common types of diabetes are type II diabetes, type I diabetes, gestational diabetes, and prediabetes.



University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

New Mexico Highlands University

Columbia University

Google

- As per NIH, chronic diseases usually last for ≥3 months and can be progressive.
- As per CDC, the deadliest chronic diseases in the US (from most to least deadly) are heart disease, cancer, CLRD, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, and diabetes.
- People with chronic diseases are more likely to experience severe complications of COVID-19 if they get infected.

Chronic Diseases

A pancreatic hormone essential for maintaining stable levels of blood sugar throughout the day by lowering blood glucose levels. 

Insulin

https://www.diabetes.org

*For more info about ADA, see https://www.diabetes.org/about-us.

American Diabetes Association (ADA)

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

- Cancer is a term that refers to a collection of diseases in which some of the body's cells divide uncontrollably and invade surrounding tissues. 
- Cancer can metastasize, i.e., spread to other parts of the body. Metastatic cancer is hard to treat and tends to be fatal. Most cancer deaths are caused by metastasis.

This node should be a relation node, but I can't delete it since it's a root node of the "cancer" tree and it has two upvotes.


Cancer

- According to the WHO, "Cardiovascular disease is the name for the group of disorders of heart and blood vessels."  
- As per WHO, cardiovascular disease includes hypertension, coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease,  peripheral vascular disease, heart failure, rheumatic heart disease, congenital heart disease, and cardiomyopathies. 
- Cardiovascular disease is a risk factor for severe COVID-19, and COVID-19 causes cardiovascular complications. 

Cardiovascular disease 

Previous lung disease is a risk factor for mortality in patients with COVID-19. Older age, male gender, home oxygen therapy, and respiratory failure on admission were associated with an increased mortality. 

lung disease

- CKD, also known as chronic renal disease,  is a chronic, non-communicable, irreversible condition where kidney function gradually declines over time.
- However, CKD progression can be slowed down dramatically or even stopped.
- The earlier stages of CKD are usually asymptomatic.
- Diabetes and high blood pressure cause almost two-thirds of CKD cases.
- Source: https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/about-chronic-kidney-disease

Chronic Kidney Disease

During the COVID-19 era the regular treatment and communication between physicians and patients regarding preexisting comorbidities has been disrupted. New guidelines and safety precautions must be put in place in order for physicians to still treat their patients and treat them through the use of telehealth or other means. While there are a lot of similarities between new communication policies being implemented across different areas of medicine, there are also many differences due to comorbidity specific criteria which facilitates different levels of involvement and communication between physicians and patients.


The comorbidities addressed under this node include:
- Cancer
- Cardiovascular Diseases
- Digestive Diseases
- Elective Surgeries
- Liver Diseases
- Psychological Disorders
- Renal Diseases

Changes to COVID-19 Patient Comorbidity Treatment and Communication

Diabetes

- Alzheimer's disease is a progressive chronic disease. It's "a type of dementia that affects memory, thinking and behavior"; over time, these symptoms progressively interfere with daily tasks.
- It's the 6th leading cause of death. Current treatments can alleviate the symptoms but can't stop the progression of Alzheimer's.

Alzheimer's Disease

Neurodegenerative diseases refers to neurological diseases caused by neuronal death or deterioration due to many factors, including protein aggregation/misfolding, apoptosis, and mitochondrial dysfunction. 

Neurodegenerative Diseases

- Motivation
- Goal setting
- Problem Solving (overcoming barriers to positive change)
- Emotional Management
- Health Psychology

Link between Psychology and Chronic Diseases

Since mindfulness meditation can alleviate symptoms of distress, pain, and chronic disease, it can be used to treat hallucinations and delusions experienced by schizophrenic patients. 

What Symptoms Mindfulness Meditation can help Treat in Patients with Severe Schizophrenia

- Cystic fibrosis
- Diabetes
- Multiple sclerosis
- Cancers
- AIDS
- Hemophilia
- Epilepsy
- Hepatitis
- Hyperhidrosis
- Musculoskeletal Disorders
- Cardiovascular Diseases
- Long COVID

List of Medical Disabilities

Abnormally excessive sweating that is often unrelated to body temperature nor exercise. Known as the silent disorder, this is a widespread condition that affects almost 3% of the population. Currently, solutions to alleviate the condition either serve as temporary solutions or cause many other side effects.

Hyperhidrosis

"Chronic pain management" or "pain management" typically refers to the practice of employing pain killing medicines, psychological therapy/ practices, and/ or managing/ controlling the environment of the patient/ sufferer in order to lessen or mitigate the pain they feel or else make the pain in question more manageable.

Chronic Pain Management

Chronic pain is often a symptom of chronic conditions/ disabilities, though not always. In the medical sphere, "chronic pain" is defined as pain that may be constant in some sense of come and go. Or, in the case of conditions that may have a cure or may "heal", chronic pain is defined as pain that lasts longer than three to six months.

Chronic Pain

Chronic illness increases the likelihood of comorbid conditions such as mental illness and other physical conditions, a lower quality of life, increased cost of healthcare, and complications from a failure to manage the condition(s) properly. 

Mental Health Issues in Children and Adolescents with Chronic Illness

Immediately after a healthy person consumes a meal high in carbohydrates, their blood glucose level rises. Which of the following describes the body's primary hormonal response to bring this level back to a stable state?

A healthy individual consumes a meal rich in carbohydrates, causing their blood glucose level to rise significantly. Based on this physiological change, describe the primary hormonal response that will occur to return blood glucose to a stable level. Identify the specific hormone and explain its role in this process.

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