Medical experts are calling on more investment into researching long COVID as certain groups appear to face a higher risk.
Long COVID can last months after the initial virus infection causing fatigue, and respiratory or cardiac symptoms.
Recent research revealed individuals with diabetes are up to four times more likely to develop long COVID. They're also at higher risk for more serious complications of long COVID, like kidney failure.
Diabetics are already at higher risk for serious illness and hospitalization and account for a high number of COVID-related deaths. The connection between long covid and higher risk for diabetes isn't clear, but theories say this could be because of the inflammatory nature of the virus.
“One of the challenges of studying long COVID is that we need better definitions of exactly what gets included,” said Dr. Robert Gabbay, Chief Scientific and Medical Officer for the American Diabetes Association.
Doctors in the diabetes field have also said managing diabetes symptoms is important in reducing the effects of long COVID-19.