washington researchers at cedarssmidt sinais heart institute have confirmed that persons who have had covid19 have a higher risk of developing newonset diabetes which is the leading cause of cardiovascular diseaseour results verify that the risk of developing type 2 diabetes after a covid19 infection was not just an early observation but in fact a real risk that has unfortunately persisted through the omicron era said alan kwan md first and corresponding author of the study and a cardiovascular physician in the smidt heart institute at cedarssinaithe trend kwan says is concerning because most people in the united states will eventually experience a covid19 infection this research study helps us understandand better prepare forthe postcovid19 era of cardiovascular risk kwan saidthe findings published today in the journal jama network open also suggest that the risk of type 2 diabetes appears lower in individuals who were already vaccinated against covid19 by the time they were infectedto determine the rising rates of diabetes investigators evaluated medical records from 23709 adult patients who had at least one documented covid19 infection and were treated within the cedarssinai health system in los angeles from 20202022 the average patient was 47 years old and 54 of subjects were femalewithin the study time frame the combined risk of type 2 diabetes after covid19 exposureaccounting for both vaccinated and unvaccinated patientswas 21 with 70 occurring after covid19 infection versus 30 happening prior to covid19 exposure the risk of type 2 diabetes after covid19 exposure for unvaccinated patients was 27 with 74 occurring after covid19 infection versus 26 happening prior to covid19 exposure the risk of type 2 diabetes after covid19 exposure for vaccinated patients was 10 with 51 occurring after covid19 infection versus 49 happening prior to covid19 exposurethese results suggest that covid19 vaccination prior to infection may provide a protective effect against diabetes risk said kwan although further studies are needed to validate this hypothesis we remain steadfast in our belief that covid19 vaccination remains an important tool in protecting against covid19 and the stilluncertain risks that people may experience during the postinfection periodsusan cheng md mph senior author of the study professor of cardiology and director for cardiovascular population sciences in the smidt heart institute says these findings broaden the medical fields understanding of the effects of covid19 on the body while simultaneously unearthing yettobeanswered questionsalthough we dont yet know for certain the trends and patterns that we see in the data suggest that covid19 infection could be acting in certain settings like a disease accelerator amplifying risk for a diagnosis that individuals might have otherwise received later in life said cheng the erika j glazer chair in womens cardiovascular health and population science so it could be that instead of being diagnosed with diabetes by age 65 a person with preexisting risk for diabetes mightafter a covid19 infectionbe more likely to develop diabetes by age 45 or 55diabetes disrupts normal metabolism and metabolic processes preventing the pancreas from producing enough insulin a hormone that helps