Member-only story
Could Covid-19 Trigger Diabetes in Otherwise Healthy People?
The coronavirus is not just a risk for people with diabetes — it may actually cause the disease
It’s well established that people who have diabetes are at a higher risk for serious complications from Covid-19, especially if the diabetes isn’t well managed. But researchers are now looking into another side of the connection between these two illnesses: whether infection with the novel coronavirus may trigger diabetes in people with no prior history of diabetes.
While it’s too early to say with certainty that the coronavirus causes new-onset diabetes, diabetes researchers from around the world are aware of enough cases to pique their interest in a potential link. They recently created a global patient registry and initiative called The CoviDIAB Project to improve their understanding not only of how common new-onset diabetes as a result of Covid-19 may be, but also how and why it’s developing, and how to manage and treat it.
“Given the very short history of human infection with SARS-CoV-2, an understanding of how Covid-19–related diabetes develops, the natural history of this disease, and appropriate management will be helpful,” diabetes experts involved in the initiative wrote in a letter published in the New England Journal of Medicine on June 12.
Since the registry’s launch just a few weeks ago, at least 120 hospitals from around the world have requested to contribute, says Francesco Rubino, MD, professor and chair of metabolic and bariatric surgery at King’s College London, and co-lead of the CoviDAB project. He’s seen some cases of new-onset diabetes among Covid patients and has word-of-mouth knowledge of a number of other cases from his colleagues, but needs more data to have a better understanding of the big picture.
This wouldn’t be the first time researchers have reason to believe that a viral infection may trigger diabetes.
It wouldn’t be the first virus to trigger diabetes
With both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, the body has trouble processing blood sugar. Hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar…
