COVID-19 survivors have increased risk of developing diabetes

People who have had COVID-19 have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, journal Diabetologia writes.

As EurekAlert! tells, the authors of the study analyzed data on 8.8 million patients who were followed until July 2021. The researchers chose people with acute upper respiratory tract infections (ARI) as the control group. Both groups of patients were matched for gender, age, health insurance, and month of COVID-19 or acute respiratory infection diagnosis.

During the study period, 35,865 people were diagnosed with COVID-19, and the incidence of diabetes for infection was 15.8 versus 12.3 for acute respiratory infections per 1,000 people per year.

The human pancreas can be a target for SARS-CoV-2, the researchers said. After COVID-19, many patients had decreased glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in beta cells. In addition, after COVID-19 disease, some patients developed insulin resistance and had elevated blood glucose levels even though they had no history of diabetes.

Also, the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus can lead to the release of large amounts of pro-inflammatory signaling substances called cytokines. Activation of the immune system can persist for months after infection with the coronavirus, reducing the effectiveness of insulin, in tissues such as muscle, fat cells, and the liver.

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