Studies link Covid-19 infection with increased risk of diabetes

Studies link Covid-19 infection with increased risk of diabetes

 

Two years into the pandemic, scientists and physicians are shifting their attention to the long-term consequences of a Covid-19 infection, termed "long Covid." Recent studies add diabetes to the list of possible long Covid outcomes.   Experts have known that people with diabetes are at higher risk of severe Covid-19 infection, but now, a new connection is unraveling -- one in which a Covid-19 infection may lead to a higher risk for diabetes.   One study published this month looked at people in Germany who had mild Covid-19 infections and found that they were 28% more likely to have a new diagnosis of type 2 diabetes compared with people who were never infected.   A study in the United States similarly found an increased incidence rate of diabetes in people who had recovered from Covid-19: a 40% increase in risk at least a year after infection. The researchers estimate that about 2 out of every 100 people who are infected with Covid-19 will have a new diagnosis of diabetes.   This US-based study, published in the medical journal The Lancet, also found that even among people who had few or no risk factors for diabetes, Covid-19 infection led to a 38% increased risk of diabetes.   The more severe someone's coronavirus infection was, the higher their risk of diabetes. For people who were treated in the ICU, the risk of diabetes jumped 276%. This connection could be related to the steroids that some patients get while receiving acute care in a hospital setting, which can increase blood sugar levels.   For many years, theories have circulated about inflammation from viral infections being implicated with diabetes. However, according to Dr. Robert Gabbay, chief scientific and medical officer at the American Diabetes Association, this is the first time studies have shown such a stark relationship between diabetes and a specific virus.