Potential Connection Between COVID and Diabetes Found

Recent COVID cases have not only seen individuals test positive for the virus but also positive for diabetes. News sources also revealed cases where individuals with mild COVID received a diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes shortly after infection.  Scientists and health authorities are now seeing potential connections between diabetes and COVID. Along with this, autoimmune illness has been seen as a potential factor in Type 1 diabetes. 

“Turns out scientists in the U.S. and elsewhere are asking the same question and investigating whether any connection is more than a coincidence,” CBS News stated.

Previous Research Along with Emerging Evidence Shows New Connections

Previous research has already proven that COVID worsens diabetes for those who were diagnosed with the condition prior to COVID infection. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states, “SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with worsening of diabetes symptoms, and persons with diabetes are at increased risk for severe COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 infection might also induce newly diagnosed diabetes.”

Now, through emerging evidence, “Coronavirus — like some other viruses — can attack insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, which might trigger at least temporary diabetes in susceptible people. Rising cases might also reflect pandemic restrictions, including delayed medical care for early signs of diabetes or unhealthy eating habits and inactivity in people already at risk for Type 2 diabetes.”

COVID and Diabetes in Children 

A CDC report revealed that diabetes was substantially more common in kids who had tested positive for COVID. The report also noted that both types of diabetes had risen significantly during the pandemic, with the previous infection possibly triggering an autoimmune response. The reason behind this remains unknown, like the reasons behind the sharp increase of Type 1 diabetes cases in the first year of the pandemic. Now, answers are being sought as to why the numbers have jumped almost 60%.

The news source stated, “With COVID, we don’t know if it’s a direct effect or some other factor that’s not fully understood yet, but we are hoping that this trend may help us figure out the trigger for what causes Type 1 diabetes.

Not Only Children but Adults Worldwide

Diabetes has risen in children and adults, too, during the pandemic. CBS News explained, “Globally, more than 540 million people have diabetes, including about 37 million in the United States. Most have Type 2 diabetes, and many more have higher than normal blood sugar levels, or prediabetes.” 

Already a concern, and now a growing one thanks to COVID, diabetes may grow globally due to a pandemic surge in prediabetes.

Potential Causes of Raised Blood Sugar Levels

Steroid drugs often used to reduce inflammation in hospitalized COVID patients have been said to cause blood sugar increases. This increase can lead to diabetes. 

Add to this the physical stress of the pandemic and other conditions which cause high blood sugar, and temporary and permanent diabetes can soon be found in more individuals across the globe.

COVID-Diabetes Registry and the Hope to Learn More 

CBS News revealed that researchers at King’s College London and Monash University in Melbourne, Australia launched an international COVID-19-diabetes registry. Along with the registry, scientists and health authorities engage in further research to answer new questions regarding this potential link between diabetes and COVID. 

Scientists and health authorities will check whether the condition progresses faster in those who had COVID and hopefully clarify COVID’s role in developing diabetes.

“Among things they hope to learn: Does diabetes in COVID-19 patients persists after they recover; do they face higher risks of getting diabetes again; could diabetes in COVID-19 patients be an entirely new type of diabetes?”And while scientists continue their exploration, U.S. citizens are advised to get vaccinated and to follow health and safety measures as recommended by the CDC. “The increased diabetes risk among persons aged <18 years following COVID-19 highlights the importance of COVID-19 prevention strategies in this age group, including vaccination for all eligible persons and chronic disease prevention and treatment,” stated the CDC.