Research published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology this month confirmed the same findings as a growing number of studies. COVID-19 increases a person’s risk of diabetes, even months after being infected.
In this latest robust study, researchers reviewed the medical records of over 180,000 US Veterans who survived the first 30 days of COVID-19 infection between March 2020 and September 2021 and compared them with 2 large control groups—a contemporary cohort of more than 4.1 million non-infected participants who used VA services during the same time period and a historical cohort of another 4.28 million non-infected participants who used VA services during 2017.
What researchers discovered is very concerning
Over 40% of study participants infected with COVID-19 were more likely to develop diabetes or be prescribed diabetes medication within a year compared to the control group. Simply translated, 2 in 100 COVID-19 patients were more likely to develop diabetes than those who did not get infected.
People older than 65 years and those with cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or prediabetes had a higher risk of diabetes than younger individuals or those without underlying conditions. Additionally, Black participants had higher risks of developing diabetes than White participants.
Most of the post-COVID diabetes cases (over 99%) developed type 2 diabetes. In addition, the severity of the COVID-19 infection impacted the risk. People with COVID-19 admitted to intensive had the highest risk of developing develop diabetes, compared to those not infected.
Some limitations of the study include that the findings may not translate to other populations, since the US Veterans study group consisted of mostly older white men, many of whom had risk factors for diabetes, including hypertension and extra weight. The risk of getting diabetes post-COVID-19 seems to be much lower in younger people. Another limitation is that some people in the control group might have had an asymptomatic missed COVID-19 diagnosis.
Implications for Diabetes Specialists
These startling findings have significant implications for the 80 million people in the U.S. known to be infected with COVID-19, especially for people living with long-haul covid.
People who have experienced a COVID-19 infection need to know the symptoms of hyperglycemia and be encouraged to report suspicions of diabetes symptoms to their providers right away. In addition, regular glucose testing of people who were infected with COVID-19 may now be recommended to detect those who may not be aware of the signs of diabetes.
Now, more than ever, we need to increase access to Diabetes Prevention Programs and Diabetes Self-Management Education, to make sure this expanding population of people with new diabetes gets the information they need to successfully manage glucose levels and maintain optimal quality of life.
For more information:
Washington Post Article and The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology
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