COVID-19 LINK TO TYPE 2 DIABETES

WARNING! Mild cases of COVID-19 have been linked to type 2 diabetes!

A study of the health records of over 35,000 Germans who tested positive for the virus between March 2020 and January 2021 found they had a 28 percent higher risk of developing deadly diabetes than patients experiencing other viral respiratory infections.

The Düsseldorf researchers suggest diabetes screenings should become standard procedure for people who’ve recovered from coronavirus.

Scientists already knew the virus could damage insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas, leading to a life-threatening rise in blood sugar levels.

Experts say the link between the diseases could also be due to inflammation making tissues less reactive to the blood sugar-regulating hormone insulin.

The researchers say former COVID patients should seek treatment right away if they experience diabetes symptoms, such as fatigue, frequent urination and increased thirst.

“Patients may have been at risk for developing diabetes due to obesity, and the stress COVID-19 put on their bodies speeded it up,” says study leader Dr. Wolfgang Rathmann of Heinrich Heine University. “Follow-up is needed to understand if type 2 diabetes after COVID-19 is temporary and can be reversed — or whether it leads to a chronic condition.”