C-19 infection raises diabetes risk: Research

Researchers at Cedars-Smidt Sinai’s Heart Institute have confirmed that persons who have had COVID-19 have a higher risk of developing new-onset diabetes, which is the leading cause of cardiovascular disease. “Our results verify that the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes after a COVID-19 infection was not just an early observation but, in fact, a real risk that has, unfortunately, persisted through the Omicron era,” said Alan Kwan, MD, first and corresponding author of the study and a cardiovascular physician in the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai. The trend, Kwan says, is concerning because most people in the United States will eventually experience a COVID-19 infection. “This research study helps us understand–and better prepare for–the post-COVID-19 era of cardiovascular risk,” Kwan said. The findings, published today in the journal JAMA Network Open, also suggest that the risk of Type 2 diabetes appears lower in individuals who were already vaccinated against COVID-19 by the time they were infected.