Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios
Those who've recovered from COVID-19 within the past year have a significantly increased chance of being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes compared with people who haven't been infected, a study published Monday in the journal Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology found.
Why it matters: The increased risk translates into 1% of people who've gotten COVID developing diabetes "who otherwise wouldn't have," the Wall Street Journal reported.
By the numbers: Researchers used the national databases of the Department of Veterans Affairs to build a cohort of 181,280 participants who had a positive COVID-19 test between March 2020 and September 2021.
- They said the disease mechanism isn't clear, but they suspect it could be due to direct factors such as a hyperactivated immune response or broader environmental changes from the pandemic that might have indirectly helped shape outcomes.