Does diabetes risk after SARS-CoV-2 infection depend on the viral variant?

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with an elevated risk of new-onset diabetes. With infections forecast to rise in the coming months, this may exacerbate an existing public health crisis by increasing rates of diabetes worldwide. Much remains to be learned about a causal link between SARS-CoV-2 and incident diabetes. This is complicated by the rapid evolution of new SARS-CoV-2 variants that may have differential effects on development of diabetes. It is possible that some variants confer an increased risk, while others carry little to no risk. Distinguishing between these possibilities could be key in preventing or screening for new-onset diabetes, and could inform care of at-risk individuals with recent SARS-CoV-2 infection.