Diabetes Increases Risk of Serious Infections, Study Finds

A major study published in the journal Diabetes and presented at the American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions in New Orleans indicates that individuals living with diabetes are at a substantially increased risk of serious infections, hospitalizations, and mortality. Conducted by researchers at City St George’s, University of London, the study analyzed over 800,000 people in England over five years, including 33,829 with Type 1 diabetes, 527,151 with Type 2 diabetes, and 273,216 with prediabetes.

The findings revealed that those with Type 1 diabetes had an 81% higher risk of infections treated in primary care and a 337% higher risk of hospitalization due to infections. Type 2 diabetes patients had a 51% higher risk of primary care infections and a 91% higher hospitalization risk.

Even prediabetes individuals faced a 35% higher risk of primary care infections. Professor Julia Critchley, who led the study, called for greater emphasis on infection prevention and treatment in diabetes care guidelines, noting that infections are a serious yet often neglected health threat.