Dr Hu Bijie discusses CT scans with fellow doctors at his "headquarters" where he can monitor patients data and make remote video rounds at the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center
Medical experts from Ruijin Hospital shared their experiences on coronavirus prevention and control for diabetes patients with international counterparts in 15 countries and regions on Saturday afternoon.
Doctors check a patient's CT image at a temporary hospital in Jiangxia District in Wuhan
People with diabetes are more vulnerable to coronavirus and treatment for coronavirus patients with diabetes is more difficult, doctors said in the online live broadcast on Facebook and Twitter.
"About 10 percent of coronavirus patients have diabetes in China and it is 22.2 percent among those seriously sick with coronavirus. Among the deaths, as high as 70 percent have diabetes," said Dr Wang Weiqing, director of Ruijn Hospital's endocrinology department. "The high blood sugar is like a boost of virus in the body. So the condition of people with diabetes is more likely to deteriorate than non-diabetics."
Medical personnel in protective suits distribute meals at a sports stadium converted into a makeshift hospital in Wuhan
"Only 30 percent of Chinese have healthy blood sugar, which means over two-thirds of the population are pre-diabetics or diabetics. People with diabetes have 1.5 times higher possibility of lung infection, so diabetics are considered as high risky population for coronavirus," she said.