Covid-19 survivors have the opportunity to develop diabetes after recovering from corona infection
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, NEWYORK — There is bad news for Covid-19 survivors. Recent research in America has found that Covid-19 survivors are more likely to develop diabetes after recovering from a corona virus infection.
A study conducted by researchers from the VA Saint Louis Health Care System revealed that as many as 40 percent of people who recover from Covid-19 have a chance of developing a case of diabetes. The study examined patient data from the US Department of Veterans from March 1, 2020 to September 30, 2021.
“Covid-19 is not just about severe effects. It will leave many people with long-term health impacts that they will have to deal with for life,” said Ziyad Al-Aly, director of research and development at the VA Saint Louis Health Care System. New Scientist on Wednesday (23/3/2022).
Al-Aly’s research can be read in the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journal. Al-Aly
and his team compared data on more than 181,000 patients who tested positive for Covid-19 with more than 4.1 million uninfected patients during the same period. This data was also compared with 4.28 million other patients treated in VA in 2018-2019.
“We suspected an increased risk of Covid-19 infection was only seen among people who had diabetes risk factors such as obesity, but the findings showed that risk was evident in all groups. Even in people without diabetes risk factors,” said Al-Aly.
Al-Aly also mentioned that there are a number of theories about how Covid-19 exacerbates the risk of diabetes that are neither proven nor refuted. One of them, Covid-19 increases inflammation which can interfere with insulin secretion and sensitivity. Covid-19 infection also causes problems in the composition and function of the microbiome, which can lead to diabetes.
“The findings of the diabetes risk of Covid-19 survivors actually add to the evidence that Covid-19 infection can have a prolonged health impact,” said Al-Aly.
Therefore, Al-Aly said the main step to prevent the risk of diabetes is to follow vaccinations to avoid Covid-19. However, for those who are already infected with Covid-19, he recommends always monitoring indications of diabetes, such as excessive thirst and frequent urination.
“If you experience it, it’s an indication of diabetes and of course you need an examination to find out and identify this early. Preventing it early is better than letting it go,” said Al-Aly.
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