Medizinische Universität Graz Austria/Österreich - Forschungsportal - Medical University of Graz
Gewählte Publikation:
Kienast, M.
The impact of COVID-19 on the management of type 2 diabetes
-A pandemic within a pandemic
Humanmedizin; [ Diplomarbeit ] Medizinische Universität Graz; 2023. pp. 82
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- Autor*innen der Med Uni Graz:
- Betreuer*innen:
- Lippe Irmgard Theresia
- Schicho Rudolf
- Altmetrics:
- Abstract:
- With around 537 million people affected worldwide (International Diabetes Federation 2021) the endocrinological disease diabetes mellitus along with hormone deficiencies and obesity is one of the most common. 90% of patients with diabetes suffer from type 2. The resulting impact on society is clear: in addition to enormous costs for the health care system this disease also results in a huge social burden for diabetics. This makes it even more important to take preventive measures and to push for the earliest possible detection of the disease in the form of screening methods, such as determining the HbA1c level of a population at risk. In addition to conservative treatment methods, pharmacology in particular is playing a key role in containing this pandemic, which was already prevalent before the "COVID crisis". Since this disease also affects almost all ethnicities and populations of the world, the search for pharmacological intervention options rightly represents an all-encompassing subject of global research. Reductions of sequelae of hyperglycemia, mortality as well as morbidity are critical goals. As the central pharmacological pillar of therapy for type 2 diabetes mellitus, the oral antidiabetic drugs, first and foremost the biguanide metformin, must be mentioned. Newer substance groups, such as the SGLT2 inhibitors or the GLP1 receptor agonists, have also become increasingly important in recent years. Especially in the context of cardiac risk patients these newer drug groups offer a useful combination therapy with the conventional metformin. In the context of the infectious disease COVID-19, which has been shown to increase mortality in pre-diabetic patients, there are considerations for an adapted therapy with antidiabetic drugs, which could potentially improve the outcome in the given context. This relatively new and unexplored topic is not only addressed by current research, but also by derived studies. It is a fact, that type 2 diabetes mellitus and its consequences represent serious problems for the worldwide population. Therefore, exploration of further therapy options, for example new combinations of different substance groups, is of utmost value for science as well as clinic practice.