There’s been an increase in new-onset Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes reported among COVID patients, but at this time researchers don’t understand how the disease could trigger diabetes and are investigating further. In short, doctors are unsure whether COVID-19 is accelerating existing diabetes risk factors, or causing them, or both. It’s also important to note that this is just a single analysis of available data, so more research is needed. Researchers are also investigating whether these new diabetes diagnoses are temporary or permanent. That’s because other coronaviruses such as SARS have been linked to new cases of diabetes in the past, but the blood sugar levels for most of those patients returned to normal within a couple of years. Monitoring blood sugar levels is an important part of diabetes care, with the best glucose meters (opens in new tab) designed to help people obtain accurate readings at home.
Can COVID-19 cause new-onset diabetes?
This week, The Washington Post published an article (opens in new tab) discussing this upswing in new diabetes cases linked to COVID-19. They spoke to Mihail Zilbermint, M.D, Chairman of the Department of Medicine at Suburban Hospital, Bethesda, whose team has seen a rise in the number of diabetes patients with COVID-19. Dr Zilbermint told the news outlet that, “We’ve definitely seen an uptick in patients who are newly diagnosed.” A study (opens in new tab) published last year by doctors in Wuhan, China, also raised concerns about elevated blood sugar in COVID-19 patients, and whether new-onset diabetes would surely follow, given how some other coronaviruses have led to diabetes diagnoses. The early analysis published in the Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism journal was gathered from reports of severe hyperglycemia (uncontrolled blood sugar) in over 3,700 COVID-19 patients. Again, researchers point out that there could be other factors at play with these patients that could have caused such high blood sugar levels, including certain types of medication, and pre-risk factors (opens in new tab) for diabetes. However, they stress that “a direct effect from COVID-19 should also be considered.”
Symptoms of Type 2 diabetes
According to guidance (opens in new tab) published by the CDC, Type 2 diabetes symptoms include the below, but not everyone will display every symptom, and there could be other causes for some of the symptoms:
Feeling thirsty all the timeConstant fatigueFrequent urinationFeeling hungry all the timeBlurred visionGetting easily irritatedTingling or numbness in your hands or feetWounds that don’t healReoccurring yeast infectionsYou’re losing weight without trying
The Mayo Clinic says (opens in new tab) that Type 2 diabetes prevents your body from using insulin in the correct way. While it used to affect mostly middle-aged and older people, the rise in childhood obesity has led to a spike in Type 2 diabetes cases among children and teens too. Type 2 diabetes is more common than Type 1, and the symptoms are often so mild, it’s thought that over eight million (opens in new tab) Americans could be unaware that they are living with the health condition. Last month, a new study looked at how a low carb diet can put Type 2 diabetes into remission (opens in new tab). The Mediterranean Diet has also proven useful for managing Type 2 diabetes, with vitamin C rich foods proven to reduce diabetes (opens in new tab) risk too. If you think you may be displaying symptoms suggestive of Type 2 diabetes, contact your doctor or healthcare professional to discuss your concerns.
