An international group of scientists have discovered why high levels of glucose in the blood, for example, patients with diabetes, contribute to more severe symptoms of the flu and may COVID-19. The results of the research explaining the dangers of diabetes infected with coronavirus, published in the journal Science Advances.
It is known that when the flu virus (or SARS-CoV-2) enters the human body, they begin to synthesize cytokines as part of an immune response. They are information molecules that transmit signals between various cells of the immune system, providing coordination in the fight against the pathogen. However, some people the body produces too many cytokines, which leads to cytokine storm — a chain reaction that leads to destruction, as if struck by a pathogen tissue and neighboring. As a result the whole body cover the inflammatory processes that threaten multiple organ failure and death.
Is still not known why the cytokine storm develops in some people but not affect others. Scientists came to the conclusion that may play a role of elevated levels of glucose in the blood. In the experiment, the mice infected with the influenza virus, injected glucosamine, which increased the likelihood servirebbe cytokines.
The results of the analysis of blood taken from 119 patients with influenza patients in Wuhan (China) prior to the pandemic, have shown that people with high glucose levels often suffer from a cytokine storm. This explains why diabetes may worsen the prognosis for patient with COVID-19.
