Diabetes, Obesity, COVID-19, Insulin, and Other Antidiabetes Drugs

Dandona, Paresh; Ghanim, Husam

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) viral infection, like other infections, triggers an inflammatory response that is usually confined to the respiratory system. However, there is evidence that in a full-blown case, almost all systems of the body may be involved. In addition, there is the syndrome of cytokine storm, characterized by severe systemic inflammation and a massive release of proinflammatory cytokines (1). It is well established that obesity and diabetes are major risk factors for COVID-19 infections and that the morbidity and mortality in association with these conditions is markedly increased. Since both obesity and diabetes are associated with chronic inflammation, it is likely that the inflammatory response to COVID-19 in such patients is affected by the background of chronic inflammation. This review aims to elucidate some of these processes and potential strategies to combat them.