According to a study published this week in the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, COVID-19 appears to raise the risk for people in developing diabetes within the next year. The results show that COVID-19 increased the risk of diabetes by 59%, even for people who were not overweight, and by 38% amongst those with the lowest diabetes risk.

This was a very large study based on records from more than 8 million people and from 180,000 previously infected with COVID-19. The risk of developing diabetes was higher for people with more severe cases of COVID-19; those who have been hospitalized or in the ICU. However, it showed that even people with mild cases had a higher risk of developing diabetes than those who did not have COVID-19.

COVID-19-related increases in diabetes incidence could lead to unprecedented cases of diabetes worldwide. The link between COVID-19 and diabetes is unknown and likely to vary from person to person.

Keep safe!