Sudden cases of diabetes development in people, after having had the coronavirus in the body, have led to suspect that this type of virus could cause destruction or damage to insulin producing cells.
While it is known that this phenomenon occurs with other viruses-the appearance of type 1 diabetes with enterovirus, virus influenza, cytomegalovirus, rotavirus and coxsackie-has been related, the link, in the case of Sars-Cov-2, it is not yetscientifically proven.However, there are certain elements that would allow establishing some kind of relationship.
One of them is what happened in 2003 with the Sars epidemic by Coronavirus Type 1. “It was discovered that there would be association between this infection and appearance of new hyperglycemia.It was said that the virus could directly affect insulin producing cells and thus cause dysfunction in insulin production, ”explains Dr. Gonzalo Godoy, a diabetologist at the German Clinic.
The specialist also states that, at that time, it was shown that some infected people, who developed pneumonia, presented injuries in the pancreas."They had much greater incidence of pursuing with high glycems than patients who had virus pneumonies that were not the type 1 coronavirus," he explains.
On the relationship of these two types of coronavirus, the doctor explains that they have an 80% similarity, so it does not rule out “a relationship between the damage that this virus could cause currently with which it was seen that caused the type 1 coronavirus inThe 2003 epidemic, ”he warns.
In the case of type 2 coronavirus-which produces COVID-19 disease-in patients who are diabetic, the doctor recounts the Chinese experience, where there were those who were infected and “had greater episodes of acute complications: diabetic ketoacidosis, hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state andIn addition, severe insulin resistance. ”
Therefore, the hypotheses of some studies suggest that this virus not only infects pulmonary cells, but also those of the pancreatic islet (set of cells that produce hormones such as insulin).Then, not only would it cause pneumonia, but also facilitate the appearance of high glycemia.
“This pathology, in the backA different way, ”he explains.
However, he clarifies that "we are writing a story in relation to what is hyperglycemia and infection by coronavirus type 2".To which he adds that, in the case of a diabetic patient, who also presents obesity, it is expected that when infected, there will be a greater inflammatory response with a worse evolution.
