Delhi Hospital: Patients with Covid-19 history contributing to diabetes case burden

According to Indraprastha Apollo Hospital officials, at least 25% of newly reported diabetes illnesses had a proven history of Covid-19, based on OPD data spanning nearly two years.

Various recurring and new health issues have been observed in persons with a verified history of moderate to severe coronavirus infection, according to the researchers.

Hypoxia, weakness, weight loss, hair loss, myocarditis, thyroid, and diabetes, which is one of the most frequent illnesses, are all possible inflammatory responses after using Covid, according to medical experts.

The hospital company said in a statement that several global research have revealed a rising proportion of newly diagnosed diabetic cases with a history of Covid-19.

Basis this available insight, doctors at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals studied this development and noted the same through an “exhaustive internal OPD data” from close to two years, it claimed.

Dr Subhash Kumar Wangnoo, senior consultant endocrinologist and diabetologist, at Apollo Centre for Obesity, Diabetes and Endocrinology, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, said, “Our data from OPDs have shown that in patients who had confirmed Covid infection, nearly 25 per cent were new-onset diabetic patients.

“Stress-induced hyperglycemia was seen in 10 per cent of patients who had Covid infection. In patients of established diabetes (already diabetic) more than 60 per cent showed worsening of glycemic status, which persisted for more than 3 months,” he said.

Diabetes in itself is a pro-inflammatory state posing a risk of an inflammatory response along with Covid-19 which leads to the aggravation of blood sugar levels, the statement said.

The use of steroids due to serious manifestations of Covid-19 in treatment further worsened the glucose levels in the patients. Stress response due to acute infection like Covid, increases the blood surpasses values through Hb1ac, which may be normal, experts said.

“This we term as new onset of diabetes due to Covid-19,” they said.