People who caught COVID-19 in the Omicron era face an increased risk of diabetes and related illnesses, study shows long-term dangers of virus persist since strain began to spread propagate.
Rates of newly diagnosed diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol were higher in the 90 days following COVID infection than before, according to a study of nearly 24,000 patients during the period of COVID-19 dominance. Omicron by researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
According to this same study, vaccination seems to help reduce these risks.
The Times reports that Omicron was considered to be a less severe variant of COVID compared to earlier strains, resulting in lower hospitalization and death rates than Delta and the strain that first emerged in China in early 2020.
Since Omicron began sweeping the world in late 2021, the vast majority of infections in the United States have been attributed to the variant, reinforcing the importance of monitoring diabetes in people recovering from COVID.
According to Alain Kwan, who contributed to the study as a cardiologist, most people should be screened for diabetes at age 35.
First considered a primarily respiratory illness, COVID has since shown to harm some patients in a variety of ways that can last years after infection.
Diabetes, which occurs when the body loses the ability to tightly regulate blood sugar levels, can damage tissues in the heart, kidneys and eyes.
During the Omicron era, new diagnoses of diabetes were almost three times more common among unvaccinated people after infection than during the preinfection period.
High blood pressure, cholesterol and elevated levels of other blood lipids were almost twice as common after infection in unvaccinated people.
Among vaccinated people who contracted COVID, the risk of diabetes remained about the same before and after infection, while the risk of other diseases decreased.
The link between COVID and diabetes, although still poorly understood, has been noted since the start of the pandemic. Research is needed to understand how these conditions develop, who is at risk and the role of vaccination in prevention, according to information obtained by The Times.