A study using data from more than 800,000 people with diabetes or prediabetes, published in the journal Diabetes, warns that infections are a bigger health risk than usually recognized in this population, with a clearly higher likelihood of serious infections.
According to the results, people with type 1 diabetes faced the highest risk: 81% more likely to have an infection diagnosed and treated by their doctor, and 337% more likely to be hospitalized for one, compared with people without diabetes. For type 2 diabetes, that risk was 51% higher in primary care and 91% higher for hospitalizations, while for prediabetes it was 35% and 33% higher, respectively.
Lead researcher Julia Critchley, professor of epidemiology at City St George's, University of London, said that "infections are common, serious and often preventable, but are largely absent from clinical guidelines" on diabetes, suggesting they deserve more attention in routine disease follow-up.