Thread by @WesElyMD

1/🧵Diabetes is part of Long COVID & a diabetes drug reduces Long COVID⁉️

📌 Studies of MILLIONS show COVID ⬆️ risk of new onset Diabetes by…
📌60%!! 🤯
📌 #Diabetes 1 & 2 are solidly documented components of #LongCOVID

👇 I unpack data & what this means & why should you care?

https://twitter.com/weselymd/status/1607747989224792065

2/ First, this is fascinating & scary. Check it…

✔️COVID is vascular disease
✔️Diabetes is a vascular disease
✔️COVID causes a chronic immune disorder
✔️Diabetes is a chronic immune disorder.
✔️A diabetes drug with immune mechanisms may help both in unrelated ways

3/ This meta-analysis of 9 studies of ~40m people found 50% increased risk of DM type 1 (insulin dependent) & 70% higher risk of DM type 2 across age groups & sex - plus way more risk than general upper respiratory infections.
 
bit.ly/3G0j4bC

4/ This newer study of 4M COVID patients vs. 43M controls also found 66% more new onset #diabetes consistent across age & sex.

💥 They recommend all severe COVID survivors have blood sugars monitored.

go.nature.com/3iCFx6n

5/ Worry over diabetes is NOT why a diabetes drug was tested for COVID & prevention of Long COVID.

A study👇 of protein networks & 29 FDA-approved meds found metformin might help COVID & sparked COVID-OUT

H/T @boulware_dr @BramanteCarolyn

go.nature.com/3WUiSS3

6/ The ways metformin may prevent LongCOVID are via its antiviral & immune modulating properties.

This is not necessarily related at all to treatment of diabetes, but I get why this might all be a bit confusing.

See below…

https://twitter.com/weselymd/status/1607748014080393222

7/ I spoke with 2 year+ LC suffering @IppokratisAnge1

“Long COVID is so invisible. You get the worst of both worlds - stigma that you have mental illness & profound limitations of physical disease. The attitude from everyone is ‘Why can’t you power through this?’ Impossible.” 😞

8/fin
#LongCOVID is a
▪️Chronic
▪️Immune
▪️Vascular
▪️Brain Disease

Stop doubting its existence.

There are people poo-pooing this problem & it’s wrong

Well characterized diseases like diabetes accompany the hard-to-pin-down aspects

Stay vigilant. Mask indoors and VAXX/BOOST

This graph is is from the Univ of Washington in St Louis MO and the creator is Elena:

bit.ly/3VtWcXH