Long-Term Recovery From Post-COVID-19 Hyperglycemia: A Three-Years Follow-Up Study in Iraq
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused several health problems, including newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus (DM) and new-onset hyperglycemia. Research indicates that some individuals with COVID-19 recover from hyperglycemia. To examine the long-term outcomes and factors that may predict recovery from new-onset hyperglycemia following COVID-19 infection over a three-year follow-up period. A prospective longitudinal cohort study was conducted involving 50 patients recently diagnosed with COVID-19 infection based on a positive RT-PCR test and a lung CT scan. All patients developed new-onset hyperglycemia upon admission, had no previous history of DM, had a normal recent HbA1c level, and had not used steroids before diagnosis. All patients were treated with insulin and/or an oral hypoglycemic drug during the periods of COVID-19 infection and hyperglycemia. The study included 50 patients with COVID-19 and new-onset hyperglycemia, of whom 62% were male, 50% were young, 52% were overweight, and 36% had CT lung severity scores between 20 and 30. After 6 months, 54% of the patients had recovered from hyperglycemia; this proportion increased to 60% after 1 year and 64% after 3 years. A higher likelihood of recovery from DM was observed among younger patients (P=0.003), those without a family history of DM (P=0.008), and those with lower CT lung severity scores (P<0.001). Most patients with new-onset hyperglycemia following COVID-19 infection recovered from DM, and the recovery rate progressively increased over the three-year follow-up period.
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| Files | ||
| Issue | Vol 64 No 6 (2026) | |
| Section | Original Articles | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.18502/acta.v64i6.22338 | |
| Keywords | ||
| COVID-19 New onset hyperglycemia New onset DM Recovery from DM post COVID-19 infection | ||
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