COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronaviru
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In a letter published in the New England Journal of Medicine, an international team of diabetes researchers said COVID-19 has been linked to new cases of the condition. Those who already have diabetes have also been found to experience "severe metabolic complications." These include problems caused by dangerously high blood sugar levels in type 1 and 2 diabetics.
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In the six months since the COVID-19 pandemic started, diabetes has emerged as a risk factor for a severe case of the disease, the authors said. Around 422 million people worldwide have diabetes, according to the World Health Organization.
Research suggests there is a link between stress and the development of diabetes. The team say that the stress of being seriously ill with COVID-19 could be involved in the new cases. They also say coronavirus may affect how the body processes sugar. The receptor that the virus uses to enter our bodies is found in organs that play a key role in the metabolism, such as the pancreas, fat tissue, small intestine, and kidneys.
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The team said there are several precedents for viruses causing an intermediate type of diabetes called ketosis-prone diabetes. These include other members of the coronavirus family of pathogens, which enter the body using the same receptor. For instance, patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which is also caused by a coronavirus, are known to develop high blood sugar levels while fasting and acute diabetes. This is also seen in patients with the lung infection pneumonia, which can be caused by viruses.