Covid-19 poses a greater risk for people with diabetes

PEOPLE with diabetes are more prone to infection during the Covid-19 outbreak if their blood glucose levels are not well controlled, Diabetes South Africa has said.

In a statement, it said diabetics often found it hard to manage their condition if they developed an infection.

“While we are still gathering data in learning more about the risks Covid19 poses to people living with diabetes, initial findings globally indicate that progression to severe illness is more likely in people with diabetes,” Diabetes SA manager Margot McCumisky said.

“For many people with diabetes, taking extra precaution will best improve their outcomes.

“People living with diabetes who manage their blood glucose levels well recover much quicker from an infection and are less likely to develop complications.”

Data from the International Diabetes Federation shows that an estimated 7% of South Africans between the ages of 21 and 79 years have the ailment.

While genetics plays a significant role in contracting the disease, diabetes is often caused by a progressively unhealthy diet and bad eating habits.

In a 2008 study, researchers from the universities of KwaZulu-Natal and Witwatersrand, as well as researchers from Denmark and England, analysed the body mass index of South African children, adolescents and young adults and found the number of those suffering from obesity doubled in six years while in the US it took 13 years.

Obesity has tripled since 1975, according to the World Health Organization, and most of the world’s population live in countries where being overweight and obesity kills more people than being underweight.

“Overweight and obesity are leading risks for global death,” said WHO. “Around 3.4 million adults die each year as a result of being overweight or obese. In addition, 44% of the diabetes burden, 23% of the ischaemic heart disease burden and between 7% and 41% of certain cancers are attributable to overweight and obesity,” it added.