ABSTRACT
Background An increased risk of diabetes mellitus (DM) after COVID-19 has been reported in the United States, Europe, and Asia. The burden of COVID-related DM has not been described in Africa, where the overall risk of DM has been increasing rapidly. Our objective was to compare the prevalence of pre-DM and DM in Nigerian individuals with a history of COVID-19 to individuals without known COVID-19 infection.Methods We identified 256 individuals with a past medical history of COVID-19 with no history of pre-DM or DM and 256 individuals without a history of COVID-19 or pre-DM/DM. Participants were categorized as pre-DM (fasting capillary glucose 100–125 mg/dL) or DM (fasting capillary glucose ≥ 126 mg/dL). We used multivariate multinomial logistic regression to determine the odds of pre-DM and DM in those with and without a history of COVID-19 after adjustment for age, gender, the presence of hypertension, physical activity, central adiposity, and family history of DM.Results Compared to the control group, those with a history of COVID-19 had a similar median age (38 vs 40 years, p = 0.84), had a higher proportion of men (63% vs 49%), and had a lower prevalence of central adiposity (waist: hip ratio ≥ 0.90 for males and WHR ≥ 0.85 for females) (48% vs 56.3%, p = 0.06). Of the 256 with a history of COVID-19, 44 (17%) required inpatient care. The median (interquartile range) time interval between COVID-19 diagnosis and the glycaemic assessment was 19 (14, 24) months. Pre-DM prevalence was 27% in the post-COVID-19 group and 4% in the control group, whereas the prevalence of DM was 7% in the post-COVID-19 group and 2% in the control group. After multivariable adjustment, the odds of pre-DM were 8.12 (95% confidence interval (CI): 33.98, 16.58; p < 0.001) higher, and the odds of DM were 3.97 (95% CI: 1.16, 13.63) higher in those with a history of COVID-19 compared to controls.Conclusion Previous COVID-19 was found to be a risk factor for prevalent pre-diabetes and diabetes mellitus in Nigeria. More intensive screening for DM in those with a history of COVID-19 should be considered.