Having Covid-19 may result in a new diagnosis of diabetes for some, Elizabeth Tracey reports

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So-called long Covid may now include a new diagnosis of diabetes, a recent study shows. Diabetes expert Rita Kalyani at Johns Hopkins says this study follows participants over 12 months after their Covid infection.

Kalyani: It was really in a national database. Almost 200,000 participants who had a positive Covid-19 test between March 2020 when the pandemic started, and September 30, 2021. So now we have the benefit of extended follow up time that we didn’t have earlier in the pandemic. And what they found was that there was a 40% increased risk of developing new onset diabetes with Covid-19 infection in the year after someone had developed Covid-19.  :29

Kalyani notes that people who’ve had Covid-19 might want to be aware of symptoms of diabetes in the year after infection, including increased thirst and more frequent urination. If such symptoms develop a follow up with your primary care physician is a good idea. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.