Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Higher non-Covid deaths found in diabetics, women: Study

The research findings pointed to the importance of ensuring that all people with diabetes, especially those from the less advantaged groups, had consistent access to diabetes medication and care

Higher non-Covid deaths found in diabetics, women: Study

New research published in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology journal has revealed an increase in non-Covid-related deaths among individuals with diabetes, attributed to disruptions caused by the pandemic.

The global review of studies comparing pre-pandemic and during-pandemic data found that the complication of sight loss in people with diabetes also increased.


The negative impacts were most pronounced for women, younger people, and racial and ethnic minority groups, it found.

The team of researchers, including those from the World Health Organisation (WHO), looked at 138 studies - North America (39), Western Europe (39), Asia (17) and others from Eastern Europe, South America, Egypt, Australia, and multiple regions - to examine the impacts of pandemic-related disruptions on the vulnerable diabetic population.

The research findings pointed to the importance of ensuring that all people with diabetes, especially those from the less advantaged groups, had consistent access to diabetes medication and care, the researchers said.

"We set out to answer the question, are you more at risk of dying from Covid and having serious disease if you have diabetes? And the data were clear - yes, you are," said co-lead author Jamie Hartmann-Boyce, an assistant professor of health policy and promotion in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, US.

Along with an increase in deaths, the researchers found a "startling" increase in diabetes-related admissions to paediatric ICUs, as well as a rise in cases of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) among children and adolescents.

DKA is a potentially life-threatening complication of diabetes, characterised by vomiting, abdominal pain, taking deep gasps while breathing and increased urination.

The data on paediatric ICU admissions and DKA was probably the most striking thing coming out of the review, according to Hartmann-Boyce.

"It was very consistent across countries, and a paediatric ICU admission is a major event for kids and their families," she said.

The researchers pointed out that there were more new cases of Type 1 diabetes than expected, and that children freshly diagnosed with this type were much sicker during pandemic than during non-pandemic periods.

Type 1 diabetes, much less common than Type 2 diabetes, is an autoimmune disease usually diagnosed in childhood but can occur at any age. It is often detected at routine primary care visits.

Regardless of the type of diabetes a person has, the disease requires self-management with diet, physical activity, and consistent routines.

People with Type 1 diabetes also require insulin to manage their blood sugar, the researchers said.

Finding clear evidence that diabetes was a risk factor for death from Covid, the team then looked at the pandemic's indirect impacts on diabetes management such as reduced access to healthcare.

"We know that not getting your eyes screened regularly if you have diabetes is a problem and leads to more sight loss," said Hartmann-Boyce.

"And we saw diabetes-related mortality and all-cause mortality increasing in England during the first wave that wasn't attributed to Covid but was probably related to reduced access to health care and reduced health care utilisation."

She said she would like to update the review over the next decade, when more indirect pandemic impacts might become evident, as when blood sugars run high, there can be impacts that might not be seen for five or ten years down the line.

"One would hope that the people who do pandemic planning would take this information into account when thinking about the messaging and the care provided to people living with diabetes, should we have another pandemic," said Hartmann-Boyce.

(PTI)

More For You

London Jains honour teens for completing Athai Tap fast

The young tapasvis seated during the community celebration

London Jains honour teens for completing Athai Tap fast

THE Jain community in London came together for a historic celebration, honouring five teenagers who successfully completed the eight-day Athai Tap fast, one of the most respected spiritual practices in Jainism.

The children – Moksh Shah, Labdhi Mehta, Mithil Shah, Svara Gandhi, and Dylan Shah – each from different families, were recognised for their discipline, devotion, and inner strength. Athai Tap involves abstaining from food for eight continuous days, a test of both body and spirit, undertaken as a way of seeking spiritual progress and self-control, according to a statement.

Keep ReadingShow less
Edward Enninful warns fashion is sliding into anti-diversity as ‘being super-thin is the norm’

Enninful also gave his view on a recent American Eagle campaign featuring actress Sydney Sweeney

Getty Images

Edward Enninful warns fashion is sliding into anti-diversity as ‘being super-thin is the norm’

Highlights:

  • Former British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful says “anti-woke” rhetoric is influencing fashion.
  • He warns the industry is reverting to European and super-thin beauty standards.
  • Enninful has launched a new inclusive media venture, EE72, with Julia Roberts on its debut cover.
  • He dismisses rumours of a fallout with Anna Wintour, saying she supported his departure from Vogue.
  • He also commented on recent advertising controversies, including Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle campaign.

Fashion industry ‘in flux’

Edward Enninful, the former editor-in-chief of British Vogue, has warned that fashion risks going backwards on diversity, with super-thin and European looks once again dominating as the beauty norm.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Radical with Amol Rajan during London Fashion Week, he said that “anti-woke” and anti-diversity sentiment was “having a moment.”

Keep ReadingShow less
menstruation

The findings come from a UK survey of more than 12,000 women

iStock

Heavier bleeding and iron loss linked to long Covid in women, study finds

Highlights:

  • Survey of more than 12,000 UK women finds heavier, longer periods linked to long Covid
  • Symptom severity rises and falls across the menstrual cycle, worsening during periods
  • Tests reveal inflammation in womb lining and hormonal changes, but no damage to ovaries
  • Iron deficiency risk may exacerbate fatigue, dizziness and other common long Covid symptoms

Study highlights link between long Covid and menstrual changes

Women with long Covid are more likely to experience longer and heavier periods, putting them at increased risk of iron deficiency, researchers have found. The findings come from a UK survey of more than 12,000 women, which also showed that the severity of long Covid symptoms fluctuated across the menstrual cycle and often worsened during menstruation.

Findings from UK survey

Between March and May 2021, 12,187 women completed an online survey. Of these, more than 1,000 had long Covid, over 1,700 had recovered from the virus, and 9,400 had never tested positive. The study revealed that women with long Covid reported heavier and longer periods, as well as more frequent bleeding between cycles, compared with other groups.

Keep ReadingShow less
World Curry Festival 2025

The discovery coincides with Bradford’s City of Culture celebrations

World Curry Festival

Bradford’s first curry house traced back to 1942 ahead of World Curry Festival

Highlights:

  • Research for the World Curry Festival uncovered evidence of a curry house in Bradford in 1942.
  • Cafe Nasim, later called The Bengal Restaurant, is thought to be the city’s first.
  • The discovery coincides with Bradford’s City of Culture celebrations.
  • Festival events will include theatre, lectures, and a street food market.

Historic discovery in Bradford’s food heritage

Bradford’s claim as the curry capital of Britain has gained new historical depth. Organisers of the World Curry Festival have uncovered evidence that the city’s first curry house opened in 1942.

Documents revealed that Cafe Nasim, later renamed The Bengal Restaurant, once stood on the site of the current Kashmir Restaurant on Morley Street. Researcher David Pendleton identified an advert for the cafe in the Yorkshire Observer dated December 1942, describing it as “Bradford’s First Indian Restaurant”.

Keep ReadingShow less
​Dilemmas of dating in a digital world

We are living faster than ever before

AMG

​Dilemmas of dating in a digital world

Shiveena Haque

Finding romance today feels like trying to align stars in a night sky that refuses to stay still

When was the last time you stumbled into a conversation that made your heart skip? Or exchanged a sweet beginning to a love story - organically, without the buffer of screens, swipes, or curated profiles? In 2025, those moments feel rarer, swallowed up by the quickening pace of life.

Keep ReadingShow less