“The last two years have been very difficult for one person, especially with the stress of the pandemic – with people losing their jobs. Their normal daily routine has been turned down,” said Solway, a chronic illness. management nurse. “We see more customers we have not been able to catch in the last two years.” Diabetics require close, ongoing medical care, and Solway finds that some appear to need more medication and others are simply trying to regain control of their disease. The clinic, he said, is closely monitoring their needs and monitoring for a possible increase in new diagnoses. “This is something on our radar here.”

New diagnosis after COVID infection

Dr. Doreen Rabbi, a diabetes specialist, sees some clear trends in her Calgary clinic more than two years after the pandemic. “We are seeing more and more referrals for new diabetes. And I definitely see the need for increased treatment for people living with diabetes. And then [we’re] “Seeing also the effects we see on any other health condition – it just makes diabetes worse,” said Rabbi, a professor at the University of Calgary at the Cumming School of Medicine. Dr Doreen Rabi, a diabetic at Cumming University School of Medicine at the University of Calgary, says doctors see an increased risk of new and worsening diabetes the year after being diagnosed with COVID. (Jennifer Lee / CBC) “It simply came to our notice then [in the research] is that the year after the diagnosis of COVID, we see an increased risk of new diabetes and also an increased risk of worsening diabetes. It is another enigmatic pandemic phenomenon. According to Rabbi, a recent U.S. study – reviewing veterans’ medical records – found that people diagnosed with COVID had a 40% increased risk of developing new diabetes compared to those who were not diagnosed with COVID-19 or those with a history of control team. But this field of research is relatively new and there are still many unknowns. Although the reasons are not entirely clear, Rabbi believes that there are probably several factors that contribute to the trends she sees. “While COVID could potentially alter a person’s ability to produce insulin, he or she is probably not the main driver of new diabetes,” he said. A prolonged inflammatory response, following infection with COVID, could lead to insulin resistance, he said. Factors known to increase the risk of diabetes were also more pronounced during the pandemic, such as unemployment, poverty, food insecurity and isolation. And pandemic-related access to health care delays are likely to play a key role, too, according to Rabi, who heads the medical school’s endocrinology and metabolism department. “There was a time when the people who had access to the resources and the care they needed were really quite weak. So if the increase in referrals we see now is clearly related to previous COVID infections or some kind of significant system backup “COVID management is really very difficult to say,” he said. Dr. Neeja Bakshi, an Edmonton-based internal medicine practitioner, also sees an increase in patients in her clinic with metabolic disorders, including new or worsening diabetes along with hypertension and high cholesterol. Edmonton internal medicine specialist Neeja Bakshi says healthcare providers are trying to bridge the link between COVID-19 and diabetes. The doctor finds an increase in referrals for new and worsening diabetes, along with other metabolic disorders. (CBC) It is difficult to determine the cause, he said, noting that people often experience significant changes in their lives when they are diagnosed with COVID, including decreased physical activity and changes in diet. “So much has happened in the last two and a half years that has affected people’s lifestyles, their ability to access medicines. [and] access to care, “he said. In an effort to better understand the link between the virus and chronic conditions such as diabetes, Bakshi now includes questions about COVID infections as part of her routine screening process. “We are starting to keep notes and histories about where diabetes came from – especially those that may not have been high risk in the first place,” he said. In medicine, we always look at risk factors such as “how is your family history”, “how is your lifestyle”, “what is your genetic predisposition”. And now I think we should add: “Did you have COVID?” It is another way that healthcare providers are trying to adapt as the pandemic continues, and to slowly reconcile the long-term effects of COVID-19. “It shows that we have a long way to go to understand how COVID works,” Bakshi said. “This virus is quite destructive. It is quite inflammatory. It is quite systemic. It involves many organ systems. And I do not know that we really really understand the full depth of it.”

title: “Diabetes In Alberta Worsens As Pandemic Persists Clinics Say " ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-18” author: “Chris Soltys”

At Siksika Health Services, Jacey Solway is closely monitoring her diabetic patients, who have been appearing in greater numbers since the county began lifting public health measures for COVID-19 earlier this year. “The last two years have been very difficult for one person, especially with the stress of the pandemic – with people losing their jobs. Their normal daily routine has been turned down,” said Solway, a chronic illness. management nurse. “We see more customers we have not been able to catch in the last two years.” Diabetics require close, ongoing medical care, and Solway finds that some appear to need more medication and others are simply trying to regain control of their disease. The clinic, he said, is closely monitoring their needs and monitoring for a possible increase in new diagnoses. “This is something on our radar here.” New diagnosis after COVID infection Dr. Doreen Rabbi, a diabetes specialist, sees some clear trends in her Calgary clinic more than two years after the pandemic. “We are seeing more and more referrals for new diabetes. And I definitely see the need for increased treatment for people living with diabetes. And then [we’re] “Seeing also the effects we see on any other health condition – it just makes diabetes worse,” said Rabbi, a professor at the University of Calgary at the Cumming School of Medicine. Jennifer Lee / CBC “It simply came to our notice then [in the research] is that the year after the diagnosis of COVID, we see an increased risk of new diabetes and also an increased risk of worsening diabetes. It is another enigmatic pandemic phenomenon. According to Rabbi, a recent U.S. study – reviewing veterans’ medical records – found that people diagnosed with COVID had a 40% increased risk of developing new diabetes compared to those who were not diagnosed with COVID-19 or those with a history of control team. The story goes on But this field of research is relatively new and there are still many unknowns. Although the reasons are not entirely clear, Rabbi believes that there are probably several factors that contribute to the trends she sees. “While COVID could potentially alter a person’s ability to produce insulin, he or she is probably not the main driver of new diabetes,” he said. A prolonged inflammatory response, following infection with COVID, could lead to insulin resistance, he said. Factors known to increase the risk of diabetes were also more pronounced during the pandemic, such as unemployment, poverty, food insecurity and isolation. And pandemic-related access to health care delays are likely to play a key role, too, according to Rabi, who heads the medical school’s endocrinology and metabolism department. “There was a time when the people who had access to the resources and the care they needed were really quite weak. So if the increase in referrals we see now is clearly related to previous COVID infections or some kind of significant system backup “COVID management is really very difficult to say,” he said. Dr. Neeja Bakshi, an Edmonton-based internal medicine practitioner, also sees an increase in patients in her clinic with metabolic disorders, including new or worsening diabetes along with hypertension and high cholesterol. ΚΤΚ It is difficult to determine the cause, he said, noting that people often experience significant changes in their lives when they are diagnosed with COVID, including decreased physical activity and changes in diet. “So much has happened in the last two and a half years that has affected people’s lifestyles, their ability to access medicines. [and] access to care, “he said. In an effort to better understand the link between the virus and chronic conditions such as diabetes, Bakshi now includes questions about COVID infections as part of her routine screening process. “We are starting to keep notes and histories about where diabetes came from – especially those that may not have been high risk in the first place,” he said. In medicine, we always look at risk factors such as “how is your family history”, “how is your lifestyle”, “what is your genetic predisposition”. And now I think we should add: “Did you have COVID?” It is another way that healthcare providers are trying to adapt as the pandemic continues, and to slowly reconcile the long-term effects of COVID-19. “It shows that we have a long way to go to understand how COVID works,” Bakshi said. “This virus is quite destructive. It is quite inflammatory. It is quite systemic. It involves many organ systems. And I do not know that we really really understand the full depth of it.”