npj Metabolic Health and Disease (Jun 2025)

Aspirin reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes associated with COVID-19

  • Valentina Trimarco,
  • Raffaele Izzo,
  • Daniela Pacella,
  • Maria Virginia Manzi,
  • Stanislovas S. Jankauskas,
  • Paola Gallo,
  • Francesco Rozza,
  • Giuseppe Giugliano,
  • Alessandra Spinelli,
  • Giovanni Esposito,
  • Roberto Piccinocchi,
  • Gaetano Piccinocchi,
  • Carmine Morisco,
  • Maria Lembo,
  • Gaetano Santulli,
  • Bruno Trimarco

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s44324-025-00072-3
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 3, no. 1
pp. 1 – 7

Abstract

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Abstract This study aimed to determine whether daily low-dose aspirin reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) associated with COVID-19. A longitudinal cohort of 200,000 adults followed from 2018 to 2022 was analyzed, comparing T2D incidence between aspirin users and non-users. Propensity score matching was used to balance the groups. The incidence of T2D was substantially lower in the aspirin group, with Cox regression showing a 52% risk reduction. Kaplan-Meier analysis confirmed a significant divergence in cumulative T2D risk after two years. This protective effect was observed both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a stronger association during the pandemic period. These findings indicate that daily low-dose aspirin significantly reduces the risk of COVID-19-associated new-onset T2D, highlighting the role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of T2D triggered or unmasked by COVID-19.