MoHFW issues new guidelines for diabetes management in Covid-19 patients

June 7: In an attempt to ensure the robustness of citizens, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW)  has come up with clinical guidance on diagnosis and management of diabetes at COVID-19 patient management facility. People suffering from diabetes can be affected with hyperglycemia or high blood glucose. In this case, the Ministry has advised certain precautions for screening of hyperglycemia in patients admitted to COVID care facilities.

The health ministry in its latest guidelines stated, “Screen every patient at admission for hyperglycemia with at least two capillary blood glucose values (1 pre-meal and 1 post-meal value) by a glucometer. Every patient with diabetes should be on a diabetic diet. Kindly ensure that the patient strictly adheres to the timing and quantity advised in the diet chart.”

The government said that patients with a normal initial glycemic profile may develop stress hyperglycemia during the course of illness, especially if the severity of covid-19 infection increases. Besides, using glucocorticoids for the treatment of the primary disease may also contribute to hyperglycemia in some cases. In such cases, the government has recommended repeat monitoring of blood glucose levels even if the initial reading is normal. Thus, glycemic assessment should be an ongoing dynamic process and not a one-time event.