People with type 1 or type 2 diabetes are at higher risk of contracting respiratory, urinary tract and skin infections than people without diabetes, according to an article in the August 1 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, now available online.
Diabetes can cause kidney problems, nerve damage, blindness and serious cardiovascular complications. Obesity increases the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes usually occurs in children, although it can also develop in adults.
Previous studies have indicated a possible relationship between diabetes and infections, but most of the studies have been retrospective, analyzing previously collected data. The new study looked forward, prospectively comparing about 7,500 diabetic patients with nearly 19,000 selected control patients to examine the link between diabetes and infections.
The researchers found that compared to patients in the control group, the odds were significantly higher that both type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients would develop infections of the respiratory tract, skin and mucous membranes and urinary tract. In fact, patients with type 1 diabetes were twice as likely to develop a urinary tract infection as non-diabetics. Diabetics' risk for recurring infection was also higher.