COVID Infections Tied To An Increased Risk Of Developing Diabetes

A new study published in the journal Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology has found a link between COVID-19 infections and Type 2 diabetes. A team of researchers with the VA Saint Louis Health Care System reviewed data from over 180,000 patients treated for COVID-19 infections by the Department of Veterans Affairs between March 1, 2020, and September 30, 2021.

They compared that data with records from more than four million patients treated by the VA during the same time period and an additional four million people who received medical care before the coronavirus pandemic. They found that patients who had COVID-19 were 46% more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes or be prescribed medication to control their blood sugar levels.

The researchers are worried about the implications of their findings and are concerned that roughly 800,000 people in the United States could develop Type 2 diabetes.

"That's hard for me to swallow," Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, chief of research and development at VA Saint Louis Health Care System and lead author of the study, told ABC News. "COVID-19 isn't only about the acute effects. This is going to leave a lot of people with long-term health consequences that they'll have to deal with for a lifetime, and that's jarring. It's unsettling to accept."