DiabetesasaconsequenceofCOVID-19
AresearchteaminvolvingtheClusterofExcellencePMIhasshownthattheSARS-CoV-2coronaviruscanalsodamagethepancreas
TheSARS-CoV-2coronavirus,whichcausesthecoronavirusdiseaseCOVID-19,canpenetratemanydifferentbodycells.Thishasbeenshowninmultipleresearchpaperspublishedinrecentweeks.Thus,notonlycanthefunctionoftherespiratorytractandthelungsbeseverelydisrupted,butalsonumerousotherorgans.TheSARS-CoV-2viruscanalsopenetratetheso-calledbetacellsinthepancreasanddamagethem,asaresearchteaminvolvingtheClusterofExcellencePrecisionMedicineinChronicInflammationhasnowobservedforthefirsttime.Thesecellsareresponsibleforproducingtheinsulinrequiredforahealthymetabolism.ASARS-CoV-2infectioncanapparentlydisruptthisfunction,whichasaresultleadstodiabetes.Theobservationswerepublishedtoday(September2nd,2020)byProfessorMatthiasLaudes,Schleswig-HolsteinExcellence-Chairforendocrinology,diabetologyandclinicalnutritionalmedicineatKielUniversityandhisresearchteamoftheClinicofInternalMedicineIattheUniversityMedicalCenterSchleswig-Holstein(UKSH),CampusKiel,togetherwithresearchersfromMunichandDresden,intherenownedscientificjournalNatureMetabolism.
ThepublicationisaninitialdescriptionofinsulindeficiencydiabetesafteraCOVID-19illness,basedonanobservedcase.A19-year-oldpatientcametousintheclinicwithnewly-developedseverediabeteswithinsulindeficiency.ItcouldbeshownthatheapparentlyhadexperiencedaSARS-CoV-2infectionafewweeksbefore,reportedLaudes,whoisalsoamemberatthesteeringcommitteeoftheClusterofExcellencePrecisionMedicineinChronicInflammation(PMI).Suchaninsulindeficiencydiabetes,i.e.type1diabetes,isusuallytriggeredbyanautoimmuneresponse,inwhichtheimmunesystemincorrectlyidentifiesthebetacellsinthepancreasasforeignandattacksthem.Butthisautoimmuneresponsewasnotpresentinthispatient.Weassumethathere,theSARS-CoV-2virusitselfattackedthebetacells,continuedLaudes.Thisalsofitswiththefactthatthebetacellspossessacrucialreceptor:theACE2receptor.TheSARS-CoV-2viruscanspecificallybindwiththisreceptor.Thereceptorisalsousedbythevirusasanentrypointintotheotherbodycellswhichitattacks.
TheleadauthorofthepublicationisthemedicaldoctorandearlycareerresearcherDr.TimHollstein,whoonlyjoinedthedepartmentofProfessorLaudesatthebeginningofthisyear,afteraresearchstayattheNationalInstituteofHealth(NIH)intheUSA.IamdelightedthatDr.Hollsteincouldmakesuchanimportantobservationasayoungearlycareerresearcher. Thisnewly-discoveredmetabolicdiseasedemonstrateshowimportantadetailedclinicalandlaboratorychemicalcharacterizationofCOVID-19canbeforpatientsatauniversityendocrinologicalcenter,saidLaudes.
UndertheleadershipofclusterspokespersonProfessorStefanSchreiber,theUKSHisalsoconductingalong-termfollow-upstudyintoCOVID-19patientsunderthenameCOVIDOM,inwhichallpersonsreportedasinfectedinSchleswig-Holsteinwillbeinvitedtoparticipate.ThissuccessofProfessorLaudesandhisteamunderlinestheimportanceofaccuratefollow-upobservationafterCOVID-19. Wearecertainthatasaresultofthisdisease,evenmorehealth-relevantmetabolicproblemscanarise,saidPMIspokespersonProfessorStefanSchreiber,headofCOVIDOManddirectorattheDepartmentofInternalMedicineIattheUKSH,CampusKiel.
Contact:
Prof.Dr.med.MatthiasLaudes
Schleswig-HolsteinExcellence-Chair
HeadofEndocrinology,DiabetologyandClinicalNutritionalMedicine
DepartmentofInternalMedicineI,UKSH,CampusKiel
 +49431/500-22217
Matthias.Laudes@uksh.de
ContactpersonforCOVIDOM:
Prof.Dr.med.StefanSchreiber
DirectorattheDepartmentofInternalMedicineI,UKSH,CampusKiel
+49431/500-22200
s.schreiber@mucosa.de
ProfessorMatthiasLaudesisamemberoftheSteeringCommitteeofthePMIExcellenceCluster,Schleswig-HolsteinExcellence-ChairandheadoftheDepartmentofEndocrinology,DiabetologyandClinicalNutritionalMedicineattheClinicforInternalMedicineIattheUKSH,CampusKiel.
Dr.TimHollstein,firstauthorofthestudy,conductsresearchattheChristian-Albrechts-UniversityofKielandworksasanassistantphysicianoftheClinicforInternalMedicineIoftheUKSH,CampusKiel.
Originalpublication
TimHollstein*DominikM.Schulte*,JulianeSchulz,AndreasGlck,AnetteG.Ziegler,EzioBonifacio,MareikeWendorff,AndreFranke,StefanSchreiber,StefanR.BornsteinundMatthiasLaudes:Autoantibody-negativeInsulin-dependentDiabetesMellitusafterSARS-CoV-2infection:acasereport.NatMetab(2020).DOI:10.1038/s42255-020-00281-8
*theseautorscontributesequally
AbouttheClusterofExcellencePMI
TheClusterofExcellence"PrecisionMedicineinChronicInflammation"(PMI)isbeingfundedfrom2019to2025throughtheGermanExcellenceStrategy(ExStra).Itsucceedsthe"InflammationatInterfacesCluster,whichwasalreadyfundedintwoperiodsoftheExcellenceInitiative(2007-2018).Around300membersfromeightinstitutionsatfourlocationsareinvolved:Kiel(KielUniversity,UniversityMedicalCenterSchleswig-Holstein(UKSH),MuthesiusUniversityofFineArtsandDesign,KielInstitutefortheWorldEconomy(IfW),LeibnizInstituteforScienceandMathematicsEducation(IPN)),Lbeck(UniversityofLbeck,UniversityMedicalCenterSchleswig-Holstein(UKSH)),Pln(MaxPlanckInstituteforEvolutionaryBiology)andBorstel(ResearchCenterBorstel-LeibnizLungCenter).
Thegoalistotranslateinterdisciplinaryresearchfindingsonchronicinflammatorydiseasesofbarrierorganstohealthcaremoreintensively,aswellastofulfilpreviouslyunsatisfiedneedsofthepatients.Threepointsareimportantinthecontextofsuccessfultreatment,andarethereforeattheheartofPMIresearch:theearlydetectionofchronicinflammatorydiseases,thepredictionofdiseaseprogressionandcomplications,andthepredictionofindividualresponsestotreatment.
Pressoffice
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ClusterofExcellence "PrecisionMedicineinChronicInflammation"
ScientificOffice
Head:Dr.habil.SusanneHolsteinPostal
Christian-Albrechts-Platz4,24118Kiel,Germany
Contact:SonjaPetermann
 +49(0)431880-4850,fax:+49(0)431880-4894
spetermann@uv.uni-kiel.de
Twitter:PMI@medinflame
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