we are living in unprecedented challenging times facing an unexpected health crisis that we have never experienced before in just a short span an unknown virus has changed the way we live and the way the world has functioned so far initial data analysis from china italy and the us suggest that patients with diabetes are at a higher risk of severe covid19 disease preliminary data from india also indicate that diabetes is a common comorbidity amongst those who have succumbed to the infection understandably people with underlying chronic diseases such as diabetes are even more concerned about the spread of the coronavirus and how it could affect them in light of this it is important for people with diabetes to know why their risk could be higher and what they can do to protect themselves getting covid19 vs complications from covid19according to the american diabetes association there is insufficient evidence to conclusively show that people with diabetes are more likely to get covid19 as compared to people without diabetes however from what we know so far if they do get the infection they tend to have worse outcomes reasons why patients with diabetes are at a higher risk patients with diabetes have a compromised immune system which makes it harder for them to fight off the infection also it is possible that the virus may thrive in a high sugar environment which would increase the risk for those with elevated blood sugariv indicating that their diabetes is not under control moreover many patients with diabetes also have hypertension high blood pressure and are treated with a type of medication called ace inhibitors and angiotensin ii typei receptor blockers arbs which appear to make it easier for the virus to affect the cells however this in no way implies that patients should stop taking their prescribed ace inhibitors and arb medication these medications are important for them to stay healthy instead patients should do what they can to prevent the infection how to stay protected from the infection some of the recommendations given below to reduce the likelihood of getting an infection are common to all people to follow while others are particularly important for those with diabetesiv wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water or with a sanitizer that has at least 60 of alcohol take special care if you have been in a public place or if you been coughing or sneezing avoid touching your face unless you have washed your hands avoid any unnecessary travel or crowded areas if you are out in a public place do not touch surfaces that are used frequently by a number of people such as door handles handrails on stairs lift buttons lift doors use a tissue or a handkerchief to touch these surfaces and then throw away the tissue and wash the handkerchief avoid sharing cutlery towels tools with others avoid contact with people who have any respiratory symptoms most importantly people with