• Scientists said this is still conjecture and long-term studies will be essential to better understand the possibility.
• Diabetes is established as a key risk factor for developing severe Covid-19 but patients can recover.
Image: FILE:
Kenyans who have recovered from Covid-19 are being urged to get tested for diabetes if they notice any symptoms.
A few patients appear to have developed the condition after recovering from Covid-19, suggesting its onset was triggered by Covid-19.
Endocrinologist Nancy Ngugi is among an increasing number of medics who believe diabetes does not just make people more vulnerable to the coronavirus, but also that the virus might trigger diabetes in some people.
She told journalists that some Kenyans who thought they endured the Covid-19 infection unscathed are beginning to feel worn out and exceedingly thirsty. Their tests for diabetes are coming out positive.
“Some Covid-19 patients are developing diabetes and so any patient we see we test them for diabetes because the virus can damage inner organs,” she said.
Early in June, a number of researchers from around the world wrote to The New England Journal of Medicine, also suggesting that Covid-19 is not just a risk factor for people with diabetes – it may actually cause diabetes.
However, they said this is still conjecture and long-term studies will be essential to better understand the possibility.
A recent report in Nature also provides evidence that the virus damages insulin-producing cells — either by directly killing them or by triggering an immune response that attacks them.
When these cells - beta cells - are destroyed and the body is unable to manufacture insulin, a person develops elevated blood sugar.
“Patients who were not known to be diabetic from their history and tests on admission show the sugar levels are normal, are later presenting with very high sugar levels,” Ngugi told journalists in a forum organised by the Non-Communicable Diseases Alliance of Kenya.
The HbA1c test is an inexpensive blood test d to diagnose onset diabetes (Type 1) and also to monitor blood glucose control in people known to have diabetes.
Diabetes is already established as a key risk factor for developing severe Covid-19.
Ngugi said high sugar levels reduce immunity and should be controlled to save diabetic patients.
“Diabetic patients with Covid-19 can be managed successfully at home. If the blood sugar is uncontrollable, you should contact a doctor to put you on insulin,” she said.
The Ministry of Health says hypertension and diabetes are the major underlying causes leading to the death of Covid-19 patients.
Acting Health DG Patrick Amoth last month said hypertension led at 17 per cent, diabetes 15 per cent, chronic lung diseases at 10 per cent, cancer 10 per cent and HIV at four per cent.
But he said patients with pre-existing conditions have recovered from Covid-19.
"I encourage anybody with any respiratory illness to visit the nearest health facility for assessment and management. All healthcare workers across the country have been trained on detection and management," he said.
In the latest Kenya National Bureau of Statistics report, 15 per cent of the households in Kenya reported having at least one member with diabetes.
Edited by R.Wamochie