Diabetes Res Clin Pract. The contribution of diabetic micro-angiopathy to adverse outcomes in COVID-19

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Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2020 May 13:108217. doi: 10.1016/j.diabres.2020.108217. [Epub ahead of print]
The contribution of diabetic micro-angiopathy to adverse outcomes in COVID-19.


Whyte MB^1,2, Vas P², Heiss C¹, Feher MD³.

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Abstract

Increasing evidence points to endothelial cell dysfunction as a key pathophysiological factor in severe coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), manifested by platelet aggregation, microthrombi and altered vasomotor tone. This may be driven by direct endothelial cell entry by the virus, or indirectly by activated inflammatory cascade. Major risk groups identified for adverse outcomes in COVID-19 are diabetes, and those from the Black, Asian and ethnic minority (BAME) populations. Hyperglycaemia (expressed as glycated haemoglobin or mean hospital glucose) correlates with worse outcomes in COVID-19. It is not known whether hyperglycaemia is causative or is a surrogate marker - persistent hyperglycaemia is well known as an aetiological agent in microangiopathy. In this article, we propose that pre-existing endothelial dysfunction of microangiopathy, more commonly evident in diabetes and BAME groups, makes an individual vulnerable to the subsequent 'endothelitis' of COVID-19 infection.
? 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.



PMID:32405120PMCID:PMC7217793DOI:10.1016/j.diabres.2020.108217