Catching Covid raises diabetes diagnosis risk for weeks, study finds

A major UK study shows that people who catch Covid-19 have a higher risk of being diagnosed with diabetes and cardiovascular conditions.

The risk of heart and circulation problems, such as irregular heartbeats and blood clot on the lungs, was six times higher in Covid patients than uninfected people of the same age and sex.

More than 400,000 Covid patients in the UK had their health records compiled by scientists. For up to a year the records were checked for new diagnoses of cardiovascular or diabetes.

After testing positive for Covid, the heightened risk of cardiovascular conditions fell back to normal, but the higher proportion of new diagnoses took nearly six months to return to baseline levels.

Dr Emma Rezel-Potts, an epidemiologist on the study at King's College London, said, "This is really about doctors being aware of the potential increased risk for their patients, and in particular how they can reduce the risk of diabetes in the first three months after infections

There are many factors that could explain the findings of Covid. The Covid patients were more likely to be overweight and had more underlying health problems than the control group. When Covid was discovered, some patients may have had undetected diabetes or heart problems.

Doctors should be alert for diabetes and cardiovascular disease when patients catch Covid, and remind them that simple lifestyle changes can reduce the risk of further illness, according to researchers. It was published in a journal.

According to Rezel-Potts, cardiovascular disease and diabetes risk seems to return to baseline levels over the long term. The risk of diabetes seems to be elevated for several months, so that could be a good opportunity for risk prevention.

There is mounting evidence that Covid could be triggering new cases of diabetes in some people, with a new study showing how long the risk could be.

It is not clear if Covid-19 is causing new cases of diabetes, if it is bringing to light previously undetected cases of diabetes, or if there are other factors playing a role. There is still a lot to be learned about the types of diabetes that could be triggered by Covid-19.

It's important for everyone to be aware of the signs and symptoms of diabetes, such as unexplained weight loss, feeling thirsty or tired, or going to the toilet more often, even if you haven't had Covid-19.

Understand your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and speak to your healthcare professional if you are concerned about your risk if you are recovering from Covid-19.