Risk and burdens of Incident diabetes in long covid: a cohort study
22 Apr 2022
There is growing evidence that, after the acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection, people with COVID-19 may experience a wide range of post-acute sequelae, known as long COVID, that include pulmonary and extrapulmonary organ system manifestations, including diabetes outcomes. However, the risks and burdens of diabetes in the post-acute phase of the disease have yet to be fully defined. This study aims to fill a knowledge gap by investigating the post-acute risk and burden of incident diabetes in people who survived the first 30 days of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The findings suggest that COVID-19 survivors had increased risks and burdens of incident diabetes and antihyperglycemic use after the first 30 days of infection. The risks and burdens were significant among those who were not hospitalized and increased in a graded fashion depending on the acute phase of the disease's care setting. In comparison to a historical control group, the risks and burdens were also consistent. All in all, the findings suggest that, after the acute phase of COVID-19, survivors are at an increased risk of developing incident diabetes and using antihyperglycemic medications; thus, diabetes should be considered as a component of the multifaceted long COVID. Post-acute care strategies for people with COVID-19 should include diabetes screening and management.