People with diabetes are prone to a number of complications from this condition. But one of the newest pandemic era developments seems to show a link between diabetes and more severe illness from those with COVID-19.

Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 is often over-produced in people with diabetes. It may be a factor in the tendency to have severe COVID-19 symptoms.

The relationship between diabetes and ACE2 is explored in this article.

ACE2 is a substance in your body that helps regulate several critical functions. Amino acids (peptides) are the chemicals that help build proteins in your body, and in general, these ACE peptides are major players in the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) that regulates how the body controls things such as:

An imbalance of these enzymes and peptides can contribute to the development of a number of conditions, such as high The pressure of the blood., inflammation, cardiovascular disease, and kidney disease.

According to a 2011 study, people with diabetes — particularly those with diabetes-related kidney disease — often have overactive or early expression of ACE2 enzymes. The amplification of these enzymes can lead to complications alone, but that complication risk increases when combined with a virus that binds to these same receptors as these enzymes.

Diabetes is associated with increased complications with all kinds of conditions, and COVID-19 is no exception.

Several studies have highlighted the increased risk of infection, severe illness, and even death in people with diabetes who have COVID-19.

The reason for the increase may be more clear.

Researchers found that in China, 20 percent of people hospitalized with COVID-19 also had diabetes as their most common comorbidity. That research also shows that a third of the people who died from their COVID-19 also lived with diabetes. Another study linked diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer to two-thirds of COVID-19 deaths in Italy.

There are many theories on why a diabetes diagnosis makes a COVID-19 illness worse. There are two leading theories about worsened illness.

  • a result of blood sugars that aren’t well managed over time, leading to high glucose levels (hyperglycemia) and other diabetes complications
  • The risk of more severe illness is increased by the increase in diabetes.

However, the real answer may have more to do with the types of cells that the SARS-CoV-2 virus targets in the first place, leading to COVID-19.

Many people with diabetes have increased levels of the ACE2 and the activeidases. The spiked proteins that coat the virus attach to the body at the ACE2 sites, which is why it is attracted to these sites.

The virus can attach to more host sites in people with elevated ACE activity.

COVID-19 is known to cause severe lung, heart, and even kidney complications, and developing research reveals that this may be in part due to how active ACE2 cells are in these tissues in people who are infected with the virus. ACE2 levels have been found to be abnormally high in people with severe COVID-19, particularly in the lung tissues of people who died from COVID-19.

While this all isn’t yet fully understood, it appears that the elevated expression of ACE2 in people with diabetes may set the stage for additional problems once the COVID-19 virus is introduced.

Some forms of diabetes may be caused by early overexpression of ACE2

The ACE2 is a key component of the equation.

A lack of balance in these areas is believed to contribute to many of the microvascular changes that occur in people with diabetes, including loss of The function of the kidneys. and nerve damage (neuropathy).

Problems can arise when our bodies are disrupted because they depend on balance to function properly. Some of the chemical imbalances that can contribute to diabetes can also increase the risk of a severe disease, like a SARS-CoV-2 infection.

If you have diabetes, talk to your doctor about how to control your blood sugar and protect yourself from all sorts of infections, including the deadly SARS-CoV-2.