The diabetic lung: An easy target for SARS‐CoV‐2?

A Machine-Generated View of the Role of Blood Glucose Levels in the Severity of COVID-19

“…In such inflammatory conditions, glucose in the ASL has been reported to reach 1.6 (±0.1) mmol/L, or even 2 (±1.1) mmol/L depending on the pathology ( 211 ). Diabetic patients not only suffer from hyperglycemia, but they also often present with chronic inflammation ( 247 , 268 ), aggravating the disruption of glucose flux from the blood to the ASL.…”

High admission blood glucose independently predicts poor prognosis in COVID-19 patients: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis

“…[36] Diabetes and hyperglycemia were previously known to induce structural changes in the lungs, giving rise to pulmonary remodelling and the subsequent restrictive respiratory pattern. [49] Moreover, hyperglycemia is also known to generate reactive oxygen species and induces oxidative stress [46], leading to endothelial dysfunction which may cause further hyperglycemic pulmonary microangiopathy. [50] This is in line with the findings of a study by Lampasona et al which demonstrated that inflammation and coagulopathy, rather than impaired antibody response as such present in individuals with diabetes, were more responsible in aggravating the outcomes.…”

Newly-diagnosed diabetes and admission hyperglycemia predict COVID-19 severity by aggravating respiratory deterioration

“…Diabetes and hyperglycemia were previously found to cause a form of pulmonary disease known as ''diabetic lung", featuring changes in lung volumes and diffusion capacity [25]. Speculatively, patients with admission hyperglycemia upon hospitalization for COVID-19 might have a poorer outcome because of an underlying subclinical pulmonary remodeling [26]. The diabetic lung is supposed to be driven at least in part by obesity and metabolic syndrome [27], but systemic inflammation and platelet dysfunction have been implicated in hyperglycemic pulmonary microangiopathy [28].…”