A growing base of evidence suggests people are significantly more likely to develop diabetes in the months following a Covid-19 infection, and health systems need to now deal with an increased burden of diabetes.
Early in the pandemic, it became clear that Covid-19 infection spelt trouble for people with diabetes. While not at greater risk of catching the virus, they were more likely to be hospitalised and suffer complications. One study found that diabetes was the single biggest predictor of mortality (adjusted for age and sex) among hospitalised Covid-19 patients.
Along the way another, perhaps more surprising, pattern was emerging too. Doctors found that many Covid-19 patients, with no related prior history, were developing diabetic symptoms. In some cases, the symptoms resolved along with the infection, but in others, they persisted long after the patient had recovered. Researchers began to deliberate whether the link between Covid-19 and diabetes might run in both directions.
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