Insulin Resistance in Septic Patients in the Acute Phase and After Discharge From Hospital

Background: Insulin resistance is well documented after surgery in a severity positively correlated to the degree of trauma (Thorell et al. 1999; Chambrier et al. 2000). Similar phenomena have been described in severely ill patients in ICU with consequences for the survival (Van den Berghe et al. 2001; The NICE-SUGAR Study Investigators 2009). The documentation, however, is scarce and the extent is unknown in acutely ill patients with sepsis.

Method: Adult, consecutive, non-diabetic patients with elevated CRP, leukocyte counts, SOFA-score of ≥ 2 were monitored with fasting p-C-peptide, blood glucose, CRP, leukocyte count and HOMA-IR at admittance, discharge and at two follow-up visits 2 weeks and 4 weeks after admission. Blood glucose levels were measured continuously during the whole study period with a flash glucose monitor mounted on the patients' upper arm. The diagnosis was sepsis, urosepsis, pneumonia, erysipecosis, bacteremia, infection with unknow focus and covid-19.