Risks for Diabetes, CVD Up in Acute, Postacute COVID-19 Phases

WEDNESDAY, July 20, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- The risks for diabetes mellitus (DM) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) are increased in the acute and postacute COVID-19 phases, according to a study published online July 19 in PLOS Medicine.

Emma Rezel-Potts, Ph.D., from King's College London, and colleagues conducted a cohort study from 2020 to 2021 analyzing electronic records for 1,356 U.K. family practices. Participants included 428,650 COVID-19 patients without DM or CVD matched with 428,650 control participants who were followed to January 2022. The net effect of COVID-19 on the incidence of DM and CVD was estimated in a difference-in-difference analysis. Follow-up time was divided into four weeks from index date, five to 12 weeks from index date, and 13 to 52 weeks from index date (acute, postacute, and long COVID-19, respectively).

The researchers observed an increase in the net incidence of DM in the first four weeks after COVID-19, which remained elevated from five to 12 weeks but not from 13 to 52 weeks. An increase was also seen in net CVD incidence in the acute phase, including pulmonary embolism, atrial arrhythmias, and venous thromboses. There was a decline noted in CVD incidence from five to 12 weeks and a net decrease from 13 to 52 weeks.

"Advice to patients recovering from COVID-19 should include measures to reduce diabetes risk, including diet, weight management, and physical activity levels, especially in view of heightened baseline risk," the authors write.

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