Diabetes Does Not Impact the Risk of Long-Term Post-COVID Symptoms

This study investigated the association of diabetes in patients who recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection with the presence of long-term post-COVID symptoms. A case-control study including individuals hospitalised during the first wave of the pandemic was conducted. Patients with a previous diagnosis of diabetes and under medical control were considered cases. Two age- and sex-matched patients without presenting diabetes per case were recruited as controls. Hospitalisation and clinical data were collected from hospital medical records. Patients were scheduled for a telephone interview. A list of post-COVID symptoms was systematically evaluated, but participants were invited to freely report any symptom. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index were used to assess anxiety and depressive symptoms, and sleep quality, respectively. Multivariable conditional logistic regression models were constructed. Overall, 145 patients with diabetes and 144 non-diabetic controls who had recovered from COVID-19 were assessed at 7.2 months (SD 0.6) after hospital discharge. The number of post-COVID symptoms was similar between groups (IRR1.06, 95%CI 0.92-1.24, P=0.372). The most prevalent post-COVID symptoms were fatigue, dyspnea on exertion, and pain. No between-groups differences in any post-COVID symptom were observed. Similarly, no differences in limitations with daily living activities were either found between patients with/without diabetes. Diabetes was not a risk factor for suffering long-term post-COVID symptoms.