A group of scientists from around the world believe that there is growing evidence that Covid-19 can cause diabetes in some patients.
Professor Francesco Rubino, of King’s College London, is leading the call for a full investigation into a possible link between the two diseases. After seeing an increase in type 1 and type 2 diabetes in people who have contracted coronavirus, some doctors are even considering the possibility that the virus could – by disturbing it. sugar metabolism – causing a completely new form of diabetes.
Rubino first realized the ability to connect at a tea party with colleagues across Zoom where documentary issues were exchanged.
Rubino and others set up a table to begin collating and analyzing these reports. Leading investigators of the record who received reports from more than 350 individual clinicians suspected of having encountered one or more cases of Covid-induced diabetes – say it was hard to ignore the numbers.
“Over the past few months, we have seen more cases of patients who had either developed diabetes during the Covid-19 experience, or shortly thereafter. We are now beginning to think that the connection is real – the virus has the potential to adversely affect sugar metabolism, ”said Rubino.
If there was a biological connection, it would be difficult to prove without a substantive database, he noted. “We said it was worth investigating as this – especially with the prevalence of the pandemic – could be a major problem. ”
Patients with pre-existing diabetes are at a higher risk of serious complications with Covid-19 and have been on the UK priority list for receiving the vaccine. Links between other viruses and diabetes, and the way the Sars-CoV-2 virus that causes Covid-19 enters many organs has been a cause for concern.
“In my mind, there is no doubt. Covid-19 is definitely the cause of the new diabetes, ”said Paul Zimmet, a professor of diabetes at Monash University in Australia. “But we still don’t fully understand – firstly, size and, secondly, what we have considered to be the key factors. ”
Scientists have hypothesized that, as Sars-CoV-2 interacts with a receptor called ACE-2 to induce cells in a range of organs, including the pancreas, that it may interfere with the metabolism of sugar. Another possible explanation is the exuberant antibody response of the body, which is intended to fight the virus, overgrowth and attack the organs in order to maintain normal glucose levels.
“Now, these are all theories… theories that are not philosophical but grounded in biology and knowledge with other viruses,” said Rubino, who chairs metabolic and bariatric surgery.
Other viruses – especially enterovirus infections – have been linked to causing type 1 diabetes, in which the body invades the cells in the pancreas inhibiting insulin production. Enterovirus antibodies have been reported at higher levels in pregnant mothers of children who have gone on to develop type 1 diabetes, and more enterovirus infections are more commonly found in children who are ‘improving the situation, compared to sisters who are not.
Dr. Sathish Thirunavukkarasu, a researcher at McMaster University in Canada, has conducted a study including eight studies from different countries from the first five months of the pandemic. Thirunavukkarasu and his colleagues detected 492 cases of neonatal diabetes among 3,711 hospitalized Covid-19 patients, or a combined proportion of 14.4%.
These numbers include both Covid-19 patients diagnosed with diabetes for the first time, as well as people with previous diabetes – but they did not know they had the disease, he explained.
It’s hard not to avoid the dramatic symptoms of type 1 diabetes, where the body doesn’t make any insulin. But with type 2 diabetes – where the body can’t make enough insulin or the insulin doesn’t work properly – it’s easy to lose symptoms because they show up gradually.
Around 3.9 million people in the UK have been diagnosed with diabetes as of 2019, but doctors believe there are thousands who have not been diagnosed, a statistic that has worsened as a result of the pandemic .
Ian Braithwaite, NHS doctor and co-founder of Habitual, a diabetes prevention and reversal company, pointed out that the study by Thirunavukkarasu and colleagues was also limited to patients in the hospital, so it was unclear whether cases whether diabetes still persists, or whether the rise in sugar levels puts patients at risk for diabetes.
Rising sugar levels may have nothing to do with diabetes and everything to do with the body’s response to disease. In addition, steroids used to treat certain patients with Covid-19 are known to raise blood sugar levels, doctors have clarified.
Other recent studies have linked Covid-19 to new diabetes to varying degrees. Researchers in China recorded the detection of 2,469 Covid-19 patients after they were discharged from hospital for six months 58 (approximately 2.35%) of the new diabetes. A separate peer-reviewed study looking at the results of 47,780 Covid-19 patients within five months of discharge from hospital in England found that 4.9% of patients were discharged. diagnosed with diabetes after release.