Worried If Covid-19 Can Trigger Diabetes? Here’s What To Watch Out

A lot of people are also worried if the Covid-19 condition can trigger diabetes in patients who have recovered from the viral disease.

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New Delhi: The coronavirus not only caused the pandemic but also gave way to several other health complications that can be life-threatening, too. The second wave of the disease has brought misery in the lives of people leaving people on their toes. We are already aware of the new debilitating conditions in post-Covid patients that have emerged in several parts of the country starting known as mucormycosis or black fungus.

Other problems have also come to notice such as lung damage, kidney damage, and heart complications. A lot of people are also worried if the Covid-19 condition can trigger diabetes in patients who have recovered from the viral disease.

A new research paper published in the International Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism has raised alarm on the onset of diabetes post-Covid-19 in some people without any blood sugar issues, or family history irrespective of Body Mass Index (BMI) and age. In the research paper, Dr. Rujuta Katkar noted a series of observations among eight patients aged between 36 and 74 years, as per the publication MidDay. The patients under observation didn't have any medical history or even a family history of diabetes but developed the condition after Covid-19.

Should you worry?

The condition can be worrisome among post-Covid patients because nearly one in six people with diabetes in the world belong to India, also known as the world’s diabetes capital.

A paper published in NEJM.org mentioned there is a bidirectional relationship between Covid-19 and diabetes. “On the one hand, diabetes is associated with an increased risk of severe Covid-19. On the other hand, new-onset diabetes and severe metabolic complications of preexisting diabetes, including diabetic ketoacidosis and hyperosmolarity for which exceptionally high doses of insulin are warranted, have been observed in patients with Covid-19,” the 2020 paper noted.

Also during Covid, the patient’s physical activities get restricted, and as a result of patients are mostly resting with less physical activities which can raise the risk of high blood sugar. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), hyperglycemia, or raised blood sugar, is a common symptom of uncontrolled diabetes and over a period of time may cause serious damage to body parts, especially the nerves and blood vessels.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes Covid-19, binds to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors, which are expressed in key metabolic organs and tissues, including pancreatic beta cells, adipose tissue, the small intestine, and the kidneys, states the paper.

‘Thus, it is plausible that SARS-CoV-2 may cause pleiotropic alterations of glucose metabolism that could complicate the pathophysiology of preexisting diabetes or lead to new mechanisms of disease,’ it reads.

It is also noticed that steroids are given to patients as part of the Covid treatment also affected their glucose level. Medical experts believe that steroids for covid can further worsen blood glucose levels.

What should you do?

It is important to keep a check on the onset of diabetes due to the worsening of glycemic control during and post-Covid. For this patients need to opt for regular consultations and investigations suggested by the treating physician.

Early diagnosis and proper treatment along with gradual physical activity, and control in diet can prove to be beneficial in averting such a condition.