Diabetes increases the likelihood that COVID-19 infection will be severe, and people with diabetes are up to four times more likely to develop long-lasting symptoms, according to new research from Black Health TV.
“Although more data are needed, some early studies suggest that diabetes may be a risk factor for long COVID, and therefore careful monitoring of people with diabetes for the development of long COVID may be advisable,” said study author Jessica Harding, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta.
Long COVID symptoms range from fatigue, shortness of breath, and cough to brain fog, dizziness, and changes in taste or smell. These symptoms can come and go or persist and last for months after the initial COVID infection, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Exactly how diabetes may increase the risk of protracted COVID is not fully understood, but there are many theories.
“Diabetes is a chronic disease with accompanying inflammation,” said Dr. Len Horovitz, a pulmonary specialist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City who was not involved in the study. “Anything that increases this inflammatory state can lead to incessant inflammation or prolonged COVID.
For the new study, Harding and her colleagues examined studies that looked at long COVID symptoms in people with and without diabetes. Overall, 43% of the seven studies included in the new analysis identified diabetes as a strong risk factor for long COVID.
This is not the final word on the matter, because the studies included in the new analysis included many different groups of people, symptom clusters, and had multiple follow-up periods, making it difficult to draw a firm conclusion, Harding said.
“Vaccines, booster shots, and masks are the best prevention against initial infection with COVID-19,” she said. “However, in the event of infection, it may be prudent to monitor blood glucose levels regularly and take prescribed blood glucose-lowering medications, if needed, to reduce and control COVID risk in the long term.”
The findings were presented Sunday at a meeting of the American Diabetes Association in New Orleans. Results presented at medical meetings are considered preliminary until they are published in a peer-reviewed journal.
External experts who responded to the findings agree that people with diabetes need to redouble their efforts to stay healthy during this ongoing pandemic Supplements .
“Having diabetes and COVID-19 may put you at risk for the long-term negative consequences of COVID-19,” said Marlon Pragnell, vice president for research and science at the American Diabetes Association. “People with diabetes may have more severe disease that can manifest over a longer period of time.”
The message is clear: “Get vaccinated,” Pragnell said. “You may get a breakout of COVID-19, but there are fewer reports of prolonged COVID illness in vaccinated individuals.”
It is equally important to keep blood sugar under control if you have diabetes.
“The worse your diabetes is when you start COVID-19, the worse your outcomes will be,” Pragnell said.
A healthy diet, regular exercise and maintaining a normal weight are critical to managing diabetes and staying healthy, Pragnell said.
Dr. Eunice Yu, medical director Therapy of COVID-19 Recovery Care at Henry Ford Health in Detroit, agreed.
“We are still learning more about the mechanisms underlying prolonged COVID, which will help us better understand why diabetes patients seem to be more susceptible,” she said.
If you get COVID and have diabetes, you should monitor your blood sugar more carefully for a few months after infection, as diabetes can also be more severe after COVID, Yu suggested.
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