Diabetes Covid risk

PRE-diabetes increases the severity of tuberculosis and may also worsen the symptoms of Covid-19, research has found.

Brisbane’s Translational Research Institute found prediabetes worsens the impact of tuberculosis and causes more severe lung damage. Patients are pre-diabetic when they have higher than normal blood sugar levels but are not high enough to be type 2 diabetes.

Professor Katharina Ronacher said pre-diabetes increased the risk of more severe inflammation in the lungs after infection, which made it harder to ward off bacteria.