Covid-19 survivors have 24% higher risk of developing Type-2 diabetes
In an announcement made yesterday, research revealed that people who test positive for Covid-19 are at an increased risk of developing Type-2 diabetes. The disclosure came from Dr Thira Woratanarat of Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine, who referred to a study recently unveiled on the MedRxiv.org portal.
This research incorporated a sample size of 15 million people from the United Kingdom, Dr Woratanarat explained in a Facebook post. It found that individuals who contracted the Covid virus run a 24% higher risk of falling victim to Type-2 diabetes, in comparison to those unaffected by the virus.
As the severity of Covid symptoms rises, so do the chances of later succumbing to diabetes, a trend distinctly noticed in the Covid positive group. The risk triples for those admitted to the hospital, suffering from significant Covid symptoms. Simultaneously, individuals who encountered only mild symptoms also observe a hike in their risk factors. For this demographic, the chances to develop Type-2 diabetes after a mild Covid infection still escalate by 10%.
Dr Woratanarat also pointed out that even individuals who received Covid vaccines, yet contracted the virus later, should remain vigilant about their increased probability of encountering Type 2 diabetes in the future. The inference underlines the importance of continuous health monitoring, even after the successful regimen of Covid-19 vaccines.
With the alarming linkage between Covid-19 and an escalated risk of Type-2 diabetes coming to light, Dr Woratanarat recommends integrating a Type-2 diabetes check into one’s annual health check-up procedure.
Further updates on the current Covid scenario show that the Department of Disease Control (DDC) registered an additional of 31,843 fresh cases this year, until August 12, leading to 775 fatalities.
On the preventative side of the pandemic, over 144 million vaccination doses have been administered across Thailand since the beginning of the pandemic. Of the vaccinated populace, 57,233,919 locals have received their first doses, 53,730,348 have received their second, and 33,987,074 have been administered their third dose. However, even when vaccinated, individuals still bear the risk of subsequent Covid infection and the potential complications it might bring, such as an elevated risk of Type-2 diabetes.
