Previous COVID-19 linked to reduced risk of type 1 diabetes in young people

Previous COVID-19 was associated with a lower subsequent risk of developing type 1 diabetes in people under 30 years of age. Scientists reported this at the annual congress of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD).

The researchers analyzed Danish national health registries. The study included 2,115 people who were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes before age 30 and 10,575 age- and sex-matched participants without the disease. Scientists studied how past coronavirus infection was associated with the subsequent onset of diabetes.

Overall, having had COVID-19 was associated with a 16 percent lower risk of type 1 diabetes. The association was strongest between 31 and 180 days after infection, with a 42 percent lower risk. When analyzing vaccinations, a reduced risk was found among unvaccinated participants: among those who had had COVID-19, it was 24 percent lower than among unvaccinated people without a documented infection.

Scientists admit that some viral infections can temporarily activate mechanisms that restrain excessive activity of the immune system and autoimmune reactions. However, the study was observational and does not prove a protective effect of COVID-19.