9 June 2020 - - Preliminary results of US-based T1D Exchange's population health surveillance study, "Type 1 Diabetes and COVID-19: Preliminary Findings from a Multi-Center Surveillance Study in the United States," were recently published in Diabetes Care, the peer-reviewed medical journal of the American Diabetes Association, the company said.

The study focuses on individuals with type 1 diabetes who are suspected or confirmed to have contracted Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

This is the first US based, multi-center study to examine patient characteristics and adverse outcomes among individuals with confirmed or suspected COVID-19.

The T1D Exchange Quality Improvement Collaborative is conducting the study in collaboration with its 15 clinic members and an additional 49 endocrinology clinics, for a total of 64 US sites.

Initial results from 33 COVID-19 confirmed positive cases and 31 COVID-19-presumptive cases found the most prevalent presenting symptom reported was high blood sugar, followed by fever, cough, nausea and fatigue.

In addition, results showed that more than 50% of cases reported hyperglycemia, nearly one-third of cases experienced DKA and required hospitalization, more than 50% of cases had no adverse COVID-19 or diabetic outcomes.

There were two reported deaths among adult patients with other underlying co-morbidities.

The multi-clinic, first of its kind population health surveillance, with currently more than 200 confirmed and presumptive cases, was made possible by the generous support of the industry and research community.

The five Presenting Sponsors: Abbott Diabetes, Dexcom, JDRF, Lilly and Medtronic, and the two Contributing Sponsors: Insulet Corp. and Tandem Diabetes Care, supported this critical initiative.

T1D is an autoimmune condition in which an individual's body is unable to produce insulin. The disease affects approximately 1.6 m people in the US, with an estimated 40,000 new people diagnosed each year.

Neither preventable nor curable, living with T1D requires self-administration of insulin through multiple daily injections or pump therapies, constant monitoring of blood sugar levels and unparalleled attention to care to avoid the acute dangers caused by hypoglycemia, in which blood sugar drops too low, or the long-term implications of hyperglycemia, in which blood sugar rises too high.

The Quality Improvement Collaborative brings together 15 clinics, situated across the US and treating more than 28,000 individuals with type 1 diabetes.

The QIC has achieved unprecedented success because it relies on an embedded and systemic approach: individual providers are empowered to identify areas of unmet need within their clinic.

They make small changes in care that scale up through the QIC to create best practices, which are then shared among and implemented by members at other clinics.

T1D Exchange is a provider of real-world evidence, dedicated to improving outcomes for the entire T1D population through driving collaborative change.

T1D Exchange actively supports quality improvement and innovation through its Quality Improvement Collaborative, patient registry, and data-oriented research services.

It plays an active role in creating real-world impact with this integrated data by providing clinicians, researchers, industry partners and advocates with the resources and services they need for better decision support and population health management.

T1D Exchange was established ten years ago with ongoing support from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust.