眾所周知,糖尿病患者在感染新冠病毒后,更容易惡化成重癥。他們是疫情中的一類高風(fēng)險(xiǎn)人群:在感染后更容易患上由病毒引起的嚴(yán)重疾病和各類并發(fā)癥。盡管與其他人相比,他們感染病毒的幾率本身并沒有什么不同。
但是越來越多的證據(jù)表明,新冠病毒和糖尿病可能在病理上有一種雙向影響關(guān)系。也就是說,新冠病毒的感染者也可能會(huì)患上1型或2型糖尿病——即便他們沒有傳統(tǒng)意義上風(fēng)險(xiǎn)較高的致病因素(例如超重或年長),也同樣如此。
科學(xué)家們?nèi)匀辉谂ふ掖鸢福越鉀Q這一特殊的醫(yī)學(xué)謎題。糖尿病是一種代謝性疾病,因此該病毒可能會(huì)以某種方式影響產(chǎn)生胰島素(用以調(diào)節(jié)血糖水平)的胰腺,或增加血液本身的葡萄糖含量。
據(jù)路透社報(bào)道,世界各地都有一些醫(yī)生在研究,是哪些人群在感染新冠病毒后患上了糖尿病,并對(duì)這些病例作了匯報(bào)。倫敦國王學(xué)院代謝和減肥手術(shù)科系的主席弗朗切斯科?魯比諾醫(yī)生領(lǐng)導(dǎo)了一個(gè)團(tuán)隊(duì),正在與他們合作,力求解決這一問題。
這不是一個(gè)新現(xiàn)象。今年8月,魯比諾和其他的許多醫(yī)學(xué)專家就在權(quán)威醫(yī)學(xué)雜志《新英格蘭醫(yī)學(xué)期刊》(NEJM)上闡明了他們的初步觀察結(jié)果,并將新冠病毒和糖尿病描述為一種“雙向關(guān)系”。
“一方面,糖尿病會(huì)增加新冠肺炎發(fā)展成重癥的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)。另一方面,新發(fā)的糖尿病,和由先前存在的糖尿病引起的嚴(yán)重代謝并發(fā)癥——包括糖尿病性酮癥酸中毒,以及必須注射劑量極高的胰島素才能夠維持正常的高滲性體液,已經(jīng)在新冠患者中觀察到?!痹撗芯康淖髡邔懙馈?/p>
而后期觀察到的關(guān)于糖尿病酮癥酸中毒的情況就特別重要。對(duì)那些潛在的糖尿病患者、或因?yàn)樾鹿诓《径掳l(fā)糖尿病的人來說,病毒引起的炎癥可能會(huì)讓其病情惡化到致命程度的機(jī)率大增:因?yàn)檫@種炎癥使人體產(chǎn)生了過量的血酸(“酮”),可能會(huì)導(dǎo)致疲勞、肌肉疼痛、口渴、尿頻、呼吸困難、惡心和神志不清等癥狀,嚴(yán)重的甚至需要急救。
盡管想要徹底弄清這種關(guān)系可能需要數(shù)年的時(shí)間,但一個(gè)可能解釋的通的理論是,這樣的關(guān)聯(lián)可能在于新冠病毒傾向于結(jié)合的酶的類型——這些被稱作ACE2的受體在身體的很多地方都有,尤其是肺部——新冠病毒可能產(chǎn)生嚴(yán)重影響的地方,但也存在于胰腺等器官中。(財(cái)富中文網(wǎng))
編譯:陳聰聰
眾所周知,糖尿病患者在感染新冠病毒后,更容易惡化成重癥。他們是疫情中的一類高風(fēng)險(xiǎn)人群:在感染后更容易患上由病毒引起的嚴(yán)重疾病和各類并發(fā)癥。盡管與其他人相比,他們感染病毒的幾率本身并沒有什么不同。
但是越來越多的證據(jù)表明,新冠病毒和糖尿病可能在病理上有一種雙向影響關(guān)系。也就是說,新冠病毒的感染者也可能會(huì)患上1型或2型糖尿病——即便他們沒有傳統(tǒng)意義上風(fēng)險(xiǎn)較高的致病因素(例如超重或年長),也同樣如此。
科學(xué)家們?nèi)匀辉谂ふ掖鸢?,以解決這一特殊的醫(yī)學(xué)謎題。糖尿病是一種代謝性疾病,因此該病毒可能會(huì)以某種方式影響產(chǎn)生胰島素(用以調(diào)節(jié)血糖水平)的胰腺,或增加血液本身的葡萄糖含量。
據(jù)路透社報(bào)道,世界各地都有一些醫(yī)生在研究,是哪些人群在感染新冠病毒后患上了糖尿病,并對(duì)這些病例作了匯報(bào)。倫敦國王學(xué)院代謝和減肥手術(shù)科系的主席弗朗切斯科?魯比諾醫(yī)生領(lǐng)導(dǎo)了一個(gè)團(tuán)隊(duì),正在與他們合作,力求解決這一問題。
這不是一個(gè)新現(xiàn)象。今年8月,魯比諾和其他的許多醫(yī)學(xué)專家就在權(quán)威醫(yī)學(xué)雜志《新英格蘭醫(yī)學(xué)期刊》(NEJM)上闡明了他們的初步觀察結(jié)果,并將新冠病毒和糖尿病描述為一種“雙向關(guān)系”。
“一方面,糖尿病會(huì)增加新冠肺炎發(fā)展成重癥的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)。另一方面,新發(fā)的糖尿病,和由先前存在的糖尿病引起的嚴(yán)重代謝并發(fā)癥——包括糖尿病性酮癥酸中毒,以及必須注射劑量極高的胰島素才能夠維持正常的高滲性體液,已經(jīng)在新冠患者中觀察到?!痹撗芯康淖髡邔懙?。
而后期觀察到的關(guān)于糖尿病酮癥酸中毒的情況就特別重要。對(duì)那些潛在的糖尿病患者、或因?yàn)樾鹿诓《径掳l(fā)糖尿病的人來說,病毒引起的炎癥可能會(huì)讓其病情惡化到致命程度的機(jī)率大增:因?yàn)檫@種炎癥使人體產(chǎn)生了過量的血酸(“酮”),可能會(huì)導(dǎo)致疲勞、肌肉疼痛、口渴、尿頻、呼吸困難、惡心和神志不清等癥狀,嚴(yán)重的甚至需要急救。
盡管想要徹底弄清這種關(guān)系可能需要數(shù)年的時(shí)間,但一個(gè)可能解釋的通的理論是,這樣的關(guān)聯(lián)可能在于新冠病毒傾向于結(jié)合的酶的類型——這些被稱作ACE2的受體在身體的很多地方都有,尤其是肺部——新冠病毒可能產(chǎn)生嚴(yán)重影響的地方,但也存在于胰腺等器官中。(財(cái)富中文網(wǎng))
編譯:陳聰聰
It's been well-established that people who have diabetes are more susceptible to serious cases of COVID-19. This is one of the higher-risk groups for severe illness and complications related to the novel coronavirus, though they aren't any more or less susceptible to actually contracting the pathogen than others.
But a growing body of evidence suggests that COVID and diabetes might be a two-way pathological street. That is, patients who contract COVID-19 may also form type 1 or type 2 diabetes, even if they don't have traditional risk factors for the conditions such as being overweight or older.
Scientists are still trying to figure out the answers to this peculiar medical mystery. Diabetes is a metabolic disorder, so it's possible that the virus somehow affects the insulin-producing pancreas (which regulates blood sugar levels) or raises the level of glucose in the blood itself.
A team of doctors being led by King's College London's Dr. Francesco Rubino, who chairs the school's department of metabolic and bariatric surgery, is trying to get to the bottom of the issue in collaboration with physicians from around the world who are sharing stories of patients who developed diabetes post-COVID, Reuters reports.
It's not a new phenomenon. In August, Rubino and a host of other medical experts spelled out their initial observations in the medical journal NEJM, describing COVID-19 and diabetes as a a "bidirectional relationship."
"On the one hand, diabetes is associated with an increased risk of severe COVID-19. On the other hand, new-onset diabetes and severe metabolic complications of preexisting diabetes, including diabetic ketoacidosis and hyperosmolarity for which exceptionally high doses of insulin are warranted, have been observed in patients with COVID-19," wrote the study authors.
The latter observation about diabetic ketoacidosis is particularly important. Inflammation caused by the virus may exacerbate the chances of someone with underlying diabetes, or newly formed diabetes due to COVID, experiencing that potentially deadly condition, wherein the body produces excess levels of blood acid called ketones. That can lead to fatigue, muscle pain, extreme thirst, frequent urination, trouble breathing, nausea, and confusion and could require emergency care.
While it may take years to fully unravel this relationship, one working theory is the answer may lie in the types of enzymes that coronavirus tends to bind to. These so-called ACE2 receptors are found in many parts of the body, particularly the lungs (which COVID may affect severely), but is also found in organs like the pancreas.