Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Jul 4;13(3-4):66-79.
doi: 10.1080/19382014.2021.1909970. Epub 2021 May 10.

Not so sweet and simple: impacts of SARS-CoV-2 on the β cell

Sarah Ibrahim  1   2 , Gabriela S F Monaco  2 , Emily K Sims  2   3   4
Affiliations
Review

Not so sweet and simple: impacts of SARS-CoV-2 on the β cell

Sarah Ibrahim et al. Islets. .

Abstract

The link between COVID-19 infection and diabetes has been explored in several studies since the start of the pandemic, with associations between comorbid diabetes and poorer prognosis in patients infected with the virus and reports of diabetic ketoacidosis occurring with COVID-19 infection. As such, significant interest has been generated surrounding mechanisms by which the virus may exert effects on the pancreatic β cells. In this review, we consider possible routes by which SARS-CoV-2 may impact β cells. Specifically, we outline data that either support or argue against the idea of direct infection and injury of β cells by SARS-CoV-2. We also discuss β cell damage due to a "bystander" effect in which infection with the virus leads to damage to surrounding tissues that are essential for β cell survival and function, such as the pancreatic microvasculature and exocrine tissue. Studies elucidating the provocation of a cytokine storm following COVID-19 infection and potential impacts of systemic inflammation and increases in insulin resistance on β cells are also reviewed. Finally, we summarize the existing clinical data surrounding diabetes incidence since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: COVID; SARS-CoV-2; beta cell; diabetes; islet.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Potential mechanisms of beta cell injury due to COVID-19 Infection. Beta cell injury could theoretically occur via direct infection of β cells, bystander effects on β cells due to infection of surrounding cells, or systemic effects of COVID-19 with either direct or indirect impacts on the β cell
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Lai CC, Wang CY, Wang YH, Hsueh SC, Ko WC, Hsueh PR.. Global epidemiology of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): disease incidence, daily cumulative index, mortality, and their association with country healthcare resources and economic status. Int J Antimicrob Agents. 2020;55(4):105946. doi: 10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2020.105946. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Peeri NC, Shrestha N, Rahman MS, Zaki R, Tan Z, Bibi S, Baghbanzadeh M, Aghamohammadi N, Zhang W, Haque U. The SARS, MERS and novel coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemics, the newest and biggest global health threats: what lessons have we learned? Int J Epidemiol. 2020;49(3):717–726. doi: 10.1093/ije/dyaa033. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kumar A, Arora A, Sharma P, Anikhindi SA, Bansal N, Singla V, Khare S, Srivastava A. Is diabetes mellitus associated with mortality and severity of COVID-19? A meta-analysis. Diabetes Metab Syndr. 2020;14(4):535–545. doi: 10.1016/j.dsx.2020.04.044. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Zhang Y, Cui Y, Shen M, Zhang J, Liu B, Dai M, Chen L, Han D, Fan Y, Zeng Y, et al. Association of diabetes mellitus with disease severity and prognosis in COVID-19: a retrospective cohort study. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2020;165:108227. doi: 10.1016/j.diabres.2020.108227. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Apicella M, Campopiano MC, Mantuano M, Mazoni L, Coppelli A, Del Prato S. COVID-19 in people with diabetes: understanding the reasons for worse outcomes. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2020;8(9):782–792. doi: 10.1016/S2213-8587(20)30238-2. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources