Diabetes, Immune Dysfunction, and Emerging Infectious Diseases in Nigeria: A Pathophysiological and Epidemiological Review

Kibibi Wairimu H.

School of Natural and Applied Sciences Kampala International University Uganda

                                                                         ABSTRACT
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a rapidly growing non-communicable disease in Nigeria, posing a dual challenge by increasing the national burden of chronic disease while exacerbating susceptibility to infectious diseases. Immune dysfunction associated with diabetes, including impaired innate and adaptive immune responses, compromises the host’s defense against pathogens. This immune dysregulation predisposes diabetic individuals to both endemic and emerging infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria, Lassa fever, and COVID-19. The interaction between diabetes and infectious diseases creates a syndemic environment where chronic hyperglycemia amplifies infection risk and worsens outcomes. This review synthesizes current pathophysiological mechanisms linking diabetes and immune dysfunction, explores the epidemiological patterns of diabetes-infection comorbidity in Nigeria, and discusses implications for public health policy, surveillance, and integrated disease management. Strengthening metabolic control, infectious disease monitoring, and health system integration is essential for mitigating the compounded burden in Nigeria’s evolving epidemiological landscape.

Keywords: Diabetes mellitus, immune dysfunction, Lassa fever, emerging infectious diseases, Nigeria.

CITE AS: Kibibi Wairimu H. (2026). Diabetes, Immune Dysfunction, and Emerging Infectious Diseases in Nigeria: A Pathophysiological and Epidemiological Review. NEWPORT INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN MEDICAL SCIENCES, 7(2):35-40 https://doi.org/10.59298/NIJRMS/2026/7.2.3540