Does COVID-19 Infection Increase the Risk of Diabetes? Current Evidence

Rachel Wong; Emily Lam; Carolyn T Bramante; Steven G Johnson; Jane Reusch; Kenneth J Wilkins; Hsin-Chieh Yeh

doi:10.1007/s11892-023-01515-1

Does COVID-19 Infection Increase the Risk of Diabetes? Current Evidence

Curr Diab Rep. 2023 Aug;23(8):207-216. doi: 10.1007/s11892-023-01515-1. Epub 2023 Jun 7.

Authors

Rachel Wong^{1

2}, Emily Lam³, Carolyn T Bramante⁴, Steven G Johnson⁵, Jane Reusch⁶, Kenneth J Wilkins⁷, Hsin-Chieh Yeh^{8

9}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biomedical Informatics, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA. rachel.wong@stonybrookmedicine.edu.
² Health Science Center, Stony Brook Medical Center, Level 3, Room 45101 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA. rachel.wong@stonybrookmedicine.edu.
³ Department of Biomedical Informatics, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA.
⁴ Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
⁵ Institute for Health Informatics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
⁶ Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism & Diabetes, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA.
⁷ Biostatistics Program/Office of Clinical Research Support, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
⁸ Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
⁹ Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.

Abstract

Purpose of review: Multiple studies report an increased incidence of diabetes following SARS-CoV-2 infection. Given the potential increased global burden of diabetes, understanding the effect of SARS-CoV-2 in the epidemiology of diabetes is important. Our aim was to review the evidence pertaining to the risk of incident diabetes after COVID-19 infection.

Recent findings: Incident diabetes risk increased by approximately 60% compared to patients without SARS-CoV-2 infection. Risk also increased compared to non-COVID-19 respiratory infections, suggesting SARS-CoV-2-mediated mechanisms rather than general morbidity after respiratory illness. Evidence is mixed regarding the association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and T1D. SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with an elevated risk of T2D, but it is unclear whether the incident diabetes is persistent over time or differs in severity over time. SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with an increased risk of incident diabetes. Future studies should evaluate vaccination, viral variant, and patient- and treatment-related factors that influence risk.

Keywords: COVID-19; Incident diabetes; SARS-CoV-2; Type 1 diabetes; Type 2 diabetes.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

COVID-19*
Diabetes Mellitus* / epidemiology
Humans
Incidence
SARS-CoV-2

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding