The Risk of Developing Type 2 Diabetes Increases After Getting Covid-19

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — Medical officials in the US are warning that people who have had Covid-19 are more likely to develop type-2 diabetes. This disease is often referred to as the silent killer because its symptoms are often mistaken for those of common ailments such as frequent urination or feeling tired.

Millions of people around the world have now contracted Covid-19. Experts at the Smidt Heart Institute in Cedars-Sinai, USA say that people who have had Covid-19 are 2.1 percent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes.

“Our study results verify that the risk is exposed type 2 diabetes after Covid-19 infection was not just an early observation, but a real one, which unfortunately remained during the era of the omicron variant,” said the study’s author, Prof Alan Kwan, a cardiovascular physician at the Smidt Heart Institute.

In Indonesia, referring to data from the Covid-19 Handling Task Force, more than six million people have had the disease. Vaccination has been key in fighting the virus, helping to end social distancing and protecting residents from serious illness.

Prof Kwan said those who were vaccinated were less likely to develop type 2 diabetes. The risk of type 2 diabetes for unvaccinated people was 2.7 per cent, with 74 per cent of diagnoses occurring after infection compared to 26 per cent before exposure to Covid-19.

For those who are vaccinated, the risk is only one percent. The results of this study indicate that the vaccine before infection can provide protection against the risk of diabetes.

“Although further research is needed to validate this hypothesis, we remain steadfast in our belief that vaccination is still an important tool in protecting against Covid-19 and the risks that are still uncertain that people may experience during the post-infection period,” said Prof Kwan, as reported by Antara. The SunWednesday (15/2/2023).

According to the Diabetes UK, type 2 diabetes can cause complications such as stroke, heart disease, and amputations. Generally, by the time they are diagnosed, they often already show signs of complications.