In a study from King’s College London, scientists found patients who contract COVID-19 face a higher risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, particularly in the three months following infection.
Scientists are increasingly recognizing COVID-19 as a multi-system condition that can cause disease throughout the body, likely by triggering pathways that cause inflammation.
In the study, researchers examined whether a sample of COVID-19 patients developed new cases of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases at higher rates than a sample of people who have never had the disease in the year following infection.
They analyzed medical records from more than 428,000 COVID-19 patients, and the same number of control individuals, matched by age, sex, and family practice.
The team showed that COVID-19 patients had 81% more diagnoses of diabetes in the first four weeks after contracting the virus and that their risk remained elevated by 27% for up to 12 weeks after infection.
COVID-19 was also linked to a six-fold increase in cardiovascular diagnoses overall, mainly due to the development of pulmonary embolism (blood clots in the lungs) and irregular heartbeat.
The risk of a new heart disease diagnosis began to decline five weeks after infection and returned to baseline levels or lower within 12 weeks to one year.
The researchers conclude that COVID-19 infection is associated with an increased risk of heart disorders and diabetes, but fortunately, there does not appear to be a long-term increase in the incidence of these conditions for patients who have contracted the virus.
Based on these findings, they recommend that doctors advise their patients who are recovering from COVID-19 to reduce their risk of diabetes through a healthy diet and exercise.
The team says whilst it is in the first four weeks that COVID-19 patients are most at risk of these outcomes, the risk of diabetes remains increased for at least 12 weeks.
Clinical and public health interventions focusing on reducing diabetes risk among those recovering from COVID-19 over the longer-term may be very beneficial.
If you care about COVID, please read studies about new evidence on rare blood clots after COVID-19 vaccination, and mouthwashes may suppress COVID-19 virus.
For more information about COVID, please see recent studies that COVID-19 virus exploits many types of frailty and ill health, and results showing new antiviral drug combo could effectively treat COVID-19.
The study was conducted by Emma Rezel-Potts et al and published in PLOS Medicine.
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