Association between diabetes and infection

Abstract

Background: The objective of the study was to assess the association between diabetes and infection. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to summarize and quantify the association between diabetes and the risk of infections in the existing literature. Second, a cohort study was done to estimate the association between diabetes and infections occurring in primary care. Results: The systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrated that diabetes is associated with an increased risk of infection. Results were generally consistent across types of infections. Findings from the cohort study suggest that patients with diabetes have a small increased risk of developing certain infections compared to patients without diabetes in primary care. Conclusion: Diabetes is associated with an increased risk of infections. The relationship varies according to type of infection present. However, more research is needed to determine the implications of patient characteristics such as BMI and glycemic control on the risk of infections.