Study Reports Higher Prevalence of Long COVID in Men With T2D

A recent study in eClinicalMedicine found that men with type 2 diabetes (T2D) had higher rates of recorded long COVID than patients without T2D.

“It was apparent from the early phase of the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic that a multisystem syndrome can develop in the weeks following a COVID-19 infection, now referred to as long COVID,” the investigators wrote. They conducted a retrospective cohort study to compare the prevalence of long COVID in patients with diabetes with matched controls.

The study utilized electronic health record data collected from January 2020 to September 2023. Individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1D; n=3087) and T2D (n=3087) were matched (1:3) with a cohort of nondiabetic individuals (n=14,077) who had a confirmed COVID-19 infection.

For individuals with T1D, the prevalence of long COVID was lower compared with matched controls without diabetes (0.33% vs 0.48%; P=.009). In patients with T2D, the overall prevalence of long COVID was not significantly different than in matched controls (0.53% vs 0.54%).

Following further analysis, however, the investigators found sex-specific differences in long COVID prevalence among patients with T2D. While men with T2D showed a higher prevalence of long COVID compared with matched controls (0.54% vs 0.46%; P=.008), the opposite was observed for women with T2D (0.61% vs 0.53%; P=.007).

Moreover, age and body mass index (BMI) were identified as significant factors influencing the likelihood of developing long COVID. Older age was associated with a reduced risk of long COVID in patients with T2D, whereas females and individuals with higher BMI were more likely to experience lingering symptoms post-COVID-19 infection.

“We accept that symptoms of long COVID can potentially occur in the absence of a previous positive COVID-19 test,” the investigators noted. “However the nature of long COVID as a polysymptomatic condition means that caution needs to be exercised in ascribing the symptoms to long COVID in the absence of a confirmed positive test.”

Moving forward, continued vigilance and awareness of long COVID as a potential differential diagnosis for multisystem symptomatic presentations are crucial. Collaborative efforts between health care providers, researchers, and policymakers are essential to mitigate the impact of long COVID and improve the overall well-being of affected individuals.