PROTOCOL: New‐Onset Diabetes Mellitus Post COVID‐19 Infection: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis

ABSTRACT Background Emerging evidence suggests that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) infection may cause diabetes mellitus in patients without a prior history of the condition. Objective This review aims to determine the incidence of new‐onset diabetes mellitus in COVID‐19 patients compared to individuals without COVID‐19, including rates of diabetic ketoacidosis, hyperglycaemia, mortality, and intensive care unit admission. Subgroup analyses will investigate patients receiving corticosteroid therapy for COVID‐19, patients admitted to hospital due to COVID‐19, and the incidence of new‐onset diabetes mellitus in relation to diabetes mellitus worldwide. The incidence of new‐onset diabetes mellitus post‐infection after a 6–12‐month follow‐up will also be reported. Methods This protocol follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis Protocols (PRISMA‐P) guidelines and is registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023457569). Eligible studies will include published and peer‐reviewed cohort studies in English, after 1 December 2019. PubMed, Medline, Embase, and Scopus will be systematically searched. Included studies should compare new‐onset diabetes mellitus incidence in COVID‐19 patients against a control group without COVID‐19. Two independent reviewers will extract data from included studies and assess risk of bias using the Newcastle‐Ottawa quality assessment scale. A random‐effects meta‐analysis will compare the relative risk of new‐onset diabetes mellitus post COVID‐19 infection compared to non‐infected individuals. Conclusion The findings of this review will contribute to understanding the bidirectional relationship between COVID‐19 and diabetes mellitus and inform clinical management strategies for patients at risk. Systematic Review Registration PROSPERO CRD42023457569.