One In 20 New Cases Of Diabetes Could Be Linked To COVID: Study

New Delhi: As COVID-19 spreads its tentacles once again, a new study reveals that it could be linked to new cases of diabetes. Diabetes has already been established as a risk factor associated with more severe COVID-19 respiratory outcomes, and SARS-CoV-2 infection was associated with the worsening of preexisting diabetes symptoms.

Now, researchers at the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control and St Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver have conducted a major study to identify the association of new diabetes cases to the SARS-Cov-2 infection. The study revealed that SARS-CoV-2 infection was associated with a higher risk of diabetes.

Researchers analysed 6,29,935 individuals who had tested positive for COVID-19 and had a higher chance of developing diabetes. The team analysed the British Columbia COVID-19 Cohort, a surveillance platform that links data on COVID infections and vaccinations.

The study revealed that people who were diagnosed with COVID-19 were at higher risk of developing type 1 or type 2 diabetes, and 3-5% of new diabetes cases were attributable to COVID overall. According to the paper, in this cohort study, SARS-CoV-2 infection was associated with a higher risk of diabetes and may have contributed to a 3% to 5% excess burden of diabetes at a population level.

“Another way to phrase this is out of 100 people with diabetes, 3-5% are related to Sars-CoV-2 infection,” Prof Naveed Janjua at the University of British Columbia told The Guardian.

Researchers have long indicated that while the SRS-CoV-2 virus impacts the respiratory system primarily, other organ systems may also be affected, leading to various acute and chronic sequelae.