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Diabetes and bacterial lung infections

The big clue I had that my blood glucose had reached diabetic levels was a chest infection.
Started with a standard cough/cold. Went down to my chest, and stayed for 6 weeks as I dragged myself around feeling like death.
Antibiotics sorted it, but shortly after, I found out that my blood glucose levels had risen.
 
Well, that's a bu... downer. I've got COPD as well as diabetes, so chest infections are not my friend at the best of times.
 
That's interesting. A few months before I was diagnosed I was having frequent chest infections and put it down to smoking, so I quit. Just as well I did, because when I was diagnosed I was relieved that at least I wouldn't get a lecture on smoking.

Since diagnosis (and quitting smoking two years ago) I have had no more chest infections.
 
Maybe I did not read enough of the paper but does it explain whether the direction of this? That is, is it the presence of an infection that caused a higher blood glucose or the presence of extra glucose that caused the rapid growth of the bacteria?
 
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