Independent, strong graded associations seen with infection risk for HbA1c levels, with strongest association in T1D
THURSDAY, June 11, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Infections are a major health hazard for people with diabetes, according to a study published online June 6 in Diabetes to coincide with the annual meeting of the American Diabetes Association, held from June 5 to 8 in New Orleans.
Julia A. Critchley, D.Phil., from the University of London, and colleagues used linked U.K. primary care, hospitalization, and mortality data to examine infection risk in more than 800,000 individuals with diabetes or prediabetes compared to a matched age-sex-ethnicity group of more than 1 million controls without diabetes. Participants were assessed over five years (2015 to 2019).
The researchers found that compared with people without diabetes, infection risks were consistently elevated across all forms of diabetes. The highest and lowest relative risks were observed in type 1 diabetes and prediabetes, respectively. Relative risks were similar across different ethnicities; South Asians had the highest population burden of infections attributable to diabetes. Independent strong graded associations with infection risk were seen for average hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level and visit-to-visit HbA1c variability, especially for hospitalization infections. Elevated HbA1c levels showed the strongest associations with infection risk among patients with type 1 diabetes, while variability contributed more to the excess burden of infections for type 2 diabetes. Infection-related mortality was substantial, representing the third leading cause of death after cardiovascular disease and cancer in type 2 diabetes.
“Increased infection risk in diabetes should have greater emphasis in U.K., European, and U.S. guidance,” Critchley said in a statement. “By refreshing guidance on a global scale, it will increase awareness amongst health care workers to aid earlier recognition and prompt intervention, which would help reduce avoidable hospital admissions and deaths.”
One author disclosed ties to the Novo Nordisk Foundation.
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