The unexpected link between asthma and diabetes. What scientists have discovered

Researchers in Taiwan have found a link between asthma and diabetes. In particular, people with asthma are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, but those with type 2 diabetes are also twice as likely to be diagnosed with asthma.

The mechanisms linking the two conditions are “still unclear,” the researchers said, according to Medical News.

The findings came from a meta-analysis of 17 million people from 14 studies conducted in Great Britain, Finland, Denmark, the United States, Korea, Singapore, China and Israel.

Scientists have found that type 2 diabetes is 83% more likely to develop asthma compared to people without diabetes.

And the relationship works the other way, too: People with asthma are 28 percent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes. In addition, the severity of a person’s asthma is also linked to higher risk of diabetes.

Further analysis showed that conditions such as high blood pressure and dyslipidemia (abnormal levels of fat in the blood) are associated with an increased risk of both asthma and type 2 diabetes.

Research shows that asthma and diabetes may have the same underlying causes or that they may have common features, the researchers also said.