MADRID, 15 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Researchers at the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai, in the United States, have confirmed that people who have had COVID-19 are at increased risk of new-onset diabetes, the factor that most contributes to cardiovascular disease, as published in the magazine ‘JAMA Network Open’.
“Our results verify that the risk of developing type 2 diabetes after COVID-19 infection was not just an early observation but, in fact, a real risk that, unfortunately, has persisted through the omicron era,” says Dr. Alan Kwan, first author of the study and a cardiovascular physician at Cedars-Sinai’s Smidt Heart Institute.
According to Kwan, this trend is concerning because most Americans will end up contracting a COVID-19 infection. “This research study helps us better understand and prepare for the era of cardiovascular risk following COVID-19 infection,” Kwan says.
The results also suggest that the risk of type 2 diabetes appears lower in people who were already vaccinated against COVID-19 at the time they became infected.
To determine the rising rates of diabetes, the researchers evaluated the medical records of 23,709 adult patients who had at least one documented COVID-19 infection and were treated at Cedars-Sinai Health System Los Angeles between 2020 and 2022. The average patient was 47 years old, and 54% of the subjects were women.
Within the time frame of the study they found that the combined risk of type 2 diabetes after exposure to COVID-19 (accounting for both vaccinated and unvaccinated patients) was 2.1%, and 70 % occurred after COVID-19 infection vs. 30% that occurred before exposure to the virus.
In addition, the risk of type 2 diabetes after exposure to COVID-19 for unvaccinated patients was 2.7%, with 74% after COVID-19 infection versus 26% before infection. exposure to COVID-19.
The risk of type 2 diabetes after exposure to COVID-19 in vaccinated patients was 1.0%, with 51% after COVID-19 infection versus 49% before COVID-19 exposure.
“These results suggest that vaccination with COVID-19 prior to infection may provide a protective effect against diabetes risk,” Kwan explains. “Although further studies are needed to validate this hypothesis, we remain firm in our belief that Vaccination against COVID-19 remains an important tool in protecting against COVID-19 and the still uncertain risks that people may experience during the post-infection period.”
Study lead author Susan Cheng, Professor of Cardiology and Director of Population Cardiovascular Sciences at the Smidt Heart Institute, says these findings add to medical knowledge about the effects of COVID-19 on the body while also reveal questions still unanswered.
“Although we don’t know for sure yet, the trends and patterns we’re seeing in the data suggest that COVID-19 infection could be acting as a disease accelerator in certain settings, amplifying the risk of a diagnosis that would otherwise , individuals might have received later in life,” said Cheng, holder of the Erika J. Glazer Chair in Women’s Cardiovascular Health and Population Sciences.
“Thus, it could be that instead of being diagnosed with diabetes at age 65, a person with pre-existing risk of diabetes might – after a COVID-19 infection – be more likely to develop diabetes at age 45 or 55.” Add.
Diabetes disrupts normal metabolism and metabolic processes, preventing the pancreas from producing enough insulin, a hormone that helps regulate blood levels of glucose and amino acids. Since diabetes can damage vital organs and blood vessels, people with diabetes are at greater risk of heart attacks and strokes.
This research, Kwan says, is a piece of the puzzle that will help researchers understand how to prevent the risk of metabolic and cardiovascular disease in the future.
“As we learn to live with COVID-19, we also need to be prepared to recognize and treat the various conditions associated with its sequelae,” says Kwan. “Our ultimate goal is to find ways to keep people healthy and capable to dedicate themselves to their daily activities and lives.
