There is growing evidence that patients recovering after a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection may have a variety of acute sequelae including newly diagnosed diabetes. However, the risk of diabetes in the post-acute phase is unclear.
To solve this question, we aimed to determine if there was any association between status post-coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infection and a new diagnosis of diabetes.
Nine studies with nearly 40 million participants were included. Overall, the incidence of diabetes after COVID-19 was 15.53 per 1000 person-years, and the relative risk of diabetes after COVID-19 infection was elevated. The relative risk of type 1 diabetes was RR=1.48 and type 2 diabetes was RR=1.70, compared to non-COVID-19 patients.
At all ages, there was a statistically significant positive association between infection with COVID-19 and the risk of diabetes. The relative risk of diabetes in different gender groups was about 2 (males: RR=2.08 [1.27–3.40]; females: RR=1.99 [1.47–2.80]). The risk of diabetes increased 1.17-fold after COVID-19 infection compared to patients with general upper respiratory tract infections. Patients with severe COVID-19 were at higher risk of diabetes after COVID-19. The risk of diabetes was highest in the first 3 months after COVID-19. These results remained after taking confounding factors into account.
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