To quantify the risk of new-onset diabetes following COVID-19 infection and evaluate changes in key metabolic parameters at least three months after infection, highlighting the importance of these alterations.
Key Findings:
41% increased risk of new-onset diabetes among COVID-19 survivors compared to non-infected individuals (RR 1.41, 95% CI: 1.38–1.44), indicating a significant public health concern.
Higher HbA1c levels (SMD 1.44, 95% CI: 0.36–2.52) indicating impaired glycemic control, which may lead to long-term health issues.
Increased insulin resistance measured by HOMA-IR (SMD 0.96, 95% CI: 0.33–1.58), suggesting a need for monitoring.
Inconsistent findings for fasting blood glucose (FBG) with high heterogeneity (SMD 0.77, 95% CI: −0.40–1.94), warranting further investigation.
Interpretation:
COVID-19 may lead to an increased risk of diabetes and persistent metabolic dysregulation, with implications for clinical practice; findings should be interpreted cautiously due to study limitations and heterogeneity.
Limitations:
Limited number of studies contributing to pooled risk estimates, which may affect the reliability of results.
Influence of large registry-based data on results, potentially introducing bias.
Heterogeneity across study designs and populations, complicating the interpretation of findings.
Conclusion:
Findings support the need for metabolic monitoring and follow-up in post-COVID care, especially for individuals at higher cardiometabolic risk, and highlight the necessity for further research to address existing gaps.
