Patients with acute Covid-19 are at higher risk of developing a heart disease and/or new diabetes mellitus, especially within the three months after the infection, suggests a study from the UK published in the journal PLoS Medicine.¹ The risk declined from 12 weeks onward and returned to normal within a year of the diagnosis.

In this study, the electronic health records of 428,650 Covid-19 patients without DM or CVD were analysed for development of diabetes and heart disease. The participants were selected from 1,356 United Kingdom family practices. They were matched by age, sex and family practice with 428,650 controls. The data was examined from 2020 to 2021 and the patients were followed up to January 2022. The follow-up period was divided into three from the index date: Acute Covid-19 (4 weeks from index date), post-acute Covid-19 (5 to 12 weeks from index date) and long Covid-19 (13 to 52 weeks from index date).

The overall incidence of diabetes increased in the first month after Covid-19 by 81% with an adjusted rate ratio (RR) of 1.81. The risk was seen to persist by 27% up to 12 weeks after contracting the infection (RR 1.27). But later the risk declined, from 13 to 52 weeks, with an RR of 1.07. Similarly, the overall risk of new diagnosis of heart disease also increased by nearly 6-folds during acute Covid-19 period. This risk was mainly due to pulmonary embolism (RR 11.57), atrial arrhythmias (RR 6.44) venous thrombosis (RR 5.43). However, this risk reduced from 5 to 12 weeks (RR 1.49) and further decreased from 13 to 52 weeks (0.80).

Based on their findings, the authors concluded that Covid-19 infection is associated with an increased risk of diabetes and heart disease in the acute phase and during post-acute Covid-19. But this risk decreased within a year of the Covid-19 infection indicating no long-term increase in their incidence. Hence, patients who recover from Covid-19 must be monitored carefully at least for the first 3 months after the diagnosis of Covid-19. Lifestyle modifications with a healthy diet and exercise must be advocated to reduce the risk.

Reference

1. Rezel-Potts E, et al. Cardiometabolic outcomes up to 12 months after COVID-19 infection. A matched cohort study in the UK. PLoS Med.2022;19(7):e1004052. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1004052