Bruce Bode, MD: Impact of COVID-19 on Diabetes Care and Endocrinology

The impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak on endocrinology has been impossible to ignore. 



With diabetic patients at increased risk of developing serious complications, endocrinologists have had to keep a keen eye on the latest on the disease for the wellbeing of their patients. Even beyond day-to-day care, COVID-19 has had a notable effect on the way information is shared within the field.

While reopenings and the lifting of stay-at-home orders may suggest the worst of the outbreak is in the past, the impact of the ongoing outbreak took centerstage for the community when virtual meetings, like the American Diabetes Association’s 80th Scientific Sessions were forced to go completely virtual.

While most in the fields of endocrinology have been impacted by COVID-19, few can offer perspective on the effects across multiple in the aspects of the field like Bruce Bode, MD, a diabetes specialist with Atlanta Diabetes Associates.

“When this broke out in early March it was a disaster,” said Bode, in an interview with HCPLive®.

In addition to his role with Atlanta Diabetes Associates, Bode is also a clinical associate professor in the Department of Medicine at Emory University and an investigator who has been involved in a slew of major trials. With all of these duties, Bode’s perspective in endocrinology and diabetes spans from clinical practice to academia and even clinical trials.


Bode led a study, which was published in the Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology in mid-April, examining diabetics hospitalized with COVID-19. Results of this study indicated rates of in-hospital mortality were 4 times greater and length of stay was longer for diabetic patients with hyperglycemia.

With the goal of gaining further insight into how COVID-19 has impacted diabetes care and the field of endocrinology as a whole, HCPLive reached out to Bode to take part in a special edition ADA 2020 House Call.