Internal Medicine and Endocrinology Specialist Prof. Dr. Hasan Aydın warned that diabetes symptoms have started to be seen in patients who were not diagnosed with diabetes before infection. Stating that type-2 diabetes patients can pass Kovid-19 more severely, Prof. Dr. Hasan Aydın said, “The probability of hospitalization and the need for intensive care are higher than those without diabetes. The reason is that diabetes is a disease that suppresses the immune system. Covid-19 is a serious disease in itself. When diabetes is added to this, which suppresses the immune system, the person suffers from the disease much more severely.
Yeditepe University Hospitals Internal Medicine and Endocrinology Specialist Prof., who said that another point they have encountered recently is that the Covid-19 infection creates a tendency to diabetes due to a systemic involvement. Dr. Hasan Aydın made statements on the subject.
RISK OF DIABETES INCREASE AFTER COVID
Informing that striking results were obtained in a study conducted by US scientists, in which 181,000 patients with Covid-19 were compared with a group that did not have the disease, Prof. Dr. Hasan Aydın said that according to the study, the results of which were published in 2021, the risk of developing diabetes increased by 40 percent in those who had Covid-19 compared to those who did not.
Saying that three factors can lead to an increase in the risk of diabetes, Prof. Dr. Aydın gave the following information on the subject:
“First of all, the Covid virus directly damages the pancreas, reducing its capacity to make insulin, and then it may predispose to diabetes. As a second factor, inactivity, excessive calorie consumption of food during the pandemic process can increase insulin resistance and lead to the development of diabetes. Third, the cortisone drug used in moderate or severe Covid-19 patients may predispose to diabetes.”
Stating that people who used drugs for latent diabetes and diet before they had a Covid-19 infection, they could not use these drugs regularly during and after they had Covid-19, and they could not have a regular diet. Dr. Aydın emphasized that this factor may lead to an increased risk of diabetes.
NEED TO BE MORE CAREFUL AFTER COVID
Warning that people who have had Covid-19 should be more careful than ever after the disease, Prof. Dr. Aydın also made important recommendations. Aydın said, “There is a 40 percent increase in diabetes risk in the post-Covid period. For this reason, people who have had Covid-19 should follow their sugar more carefully after the disease. They should also stay away from a diet high in carbohydrates and sugar. In addition, it is very important not to be inactive and to continue activities suitable for age and climatic conditions. It is well known that exercise both reduces the risk of developing diabetes and has positive effects on blood sugar control in people with diabetes.
TEMPORARY DIABETES CAN DEVELOP AFTER COVID-19
Stating that type-2 diabetes due to Covid-19 is mostly temporary, Prof. Dr. Hasan Aydın also stated that the diabetes that develops after Covid lasts for a maximum of 6 months, and at the end of 6 months, the person’s blood sugar drops to normal levels and passes by itself. prof. Dr. Aydın continued his words as follows:
“This will lead to a new definition. A diagnosis like “Post Covid Diabetes” will likely emerge. These patients seem to have different characteristics. It creates a different type from the usual diabetes types. On the one hand, it is seen as an autoimmune disease course. We detect that auto-antibodies have developed against the pancreas. On the other hand, a course like type-1 diabetes emerges. Insulin needs of the patients emerge, they cannot be treated with oral medications. However, on the other hand, it is a temporary disease, patients recover spontaneously after 6 months.”
IT IS NOT KNOWN HOW MUCH DAMAGED THE PANCREAS IS
Yeditepe University Hospitals Internal Medicine and Endocrinology Specialist Prof., who pointed out that although type-2 diabetes after Covid-19 is temporary, the damage to the body in the future is not yet known. Dr. Hasan Aydın also pointed out that unfortunately, it is not known how much damage there is, since no pathology is taken from the pancreas of Covid-19 patients. Stating that if autopsy can be performed on people who lost their lives due to Covid-19, it will be possible to know how much Covid-19 affects the pancreas. Dr. Aydın concluded his speech by adding that, unfortunately, such a study has not been carried out so far, neither in Turkey nor in the world.
(DHA)