The Effects of Metformin Drug in Diabetic Patients Suffering from Concomitant Infection with Covid-19; A Review Study

Diabetes is one of the most common co-morbidities and is associated with worse results in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The results showed that mortality was reduced among diabetics taking metformin compared with those not taking metformin. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of providing reliable and up-to-date evidence about the effects of metformin drug in diabetic patients suffering from concomitant infection with COVID-19.

In this review, we searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane and Google Scholar databases starting in December 2019 to find studies. We carried out a systematic search of English texts using the keywords "metformin" or "biguanides" and "coronavirus disease 2019" or "COVID-19". After reviewing the titles, summaries and complete texts, 28 studies were eventually included in the study.

The review found that most studies showed reduced mortality among metformin users compared to non-users among diabetics with COVID-19. In addition, the results indicate that metformin may inhibit viruses by increasing insulin susceptibility. However, some studies do not support the impact of metformin on mortality reduction.

Results from this study show that metformin use in diabetic patients with COVID-19 is associated with decreased mortality. Of course, randomized controlled trials are necessary to confirm this outcome.