People with endocrine disorders may see their condition worsen as a result of COVID-19, according to a new review published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society. “We explored the previous SARS outbreak caused by the very similar virus SARS-CoV-1 to advise endocrinologists involved in the care of patients with COVID-19,” says Noel Pratheepan Somasundaram...
The theoretical threat from blood pressure medicine’s effects on COVID-19 caused many patients on these medications to make panicked calls to their healthcare providers. However, a group of professional associations and researchers moved quickly to counter this fear — and to recommend that patients infected with COVID-19 should continue taking renin-angiotensin system (RAS) blockers in...
Diabetic Ketoacidosis Threatens Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients
Diabetic ketoacidosis is a common and potentially fatal complication in hospitalized patients with COVID-19, according to a new clinical perspective published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. Diabetic ketoacidosis almost always requires special care in the hospital which usually takes place in the intensive care unit (ICU). It is caused by insufficient insulin circulating in the bloodstream, which is more likely to occur during a serious infection like COVID-19. Diabetic...
Endocrine Society Issues Statement on Dexamethasone & COVID-19
On June 17, the Endocrine Society issued a statement on the efficacy of using dexamethasone in COVID-19 patients. Here is the statement in full: A new clinical trial out of the University of Oxford, United Kingdom, reports that dexamethasone reduced deaths in patients with severe COVID-19. It is imperative that our patients and the public...
As researchers and scientists wait out the pandemic, lessons for restarting their labs can be learned from previous disasters that put a halt to research. The devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has reached every part of the globe and every industry. Countries such as France, Italy, New Zealand, and the UK have implemented some...
Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients with Diabetes Make Up More Than 20% of ICU Population
The COVID-19 pandemic presents new challenges for clinicians caring for infected patients with diabetes, according to new guidance published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. Hospitalized patients with COVID-19 and diabetes need to receive glucose-lowering therapy in addition to other complex medical management as a way of minimizing risk for complications and death. However, appropriate glycemic management—including bedside...
New App Helps Improve Diabetes Care in Patients with COVID-19
Last month, Endocrine News ran a feature about the need optimal glycemic control in patients hospitalized with COVID-19, which could require physicians treating these patients to take different approaches than usual. Now, an international group of healthcare experts have developed an app to help the providers on the front lines of caring for patients with...
Many endocrinologists — both clinicians and scientists — have been using social media for years to communicate their own research, share information with patients, or simply stay informed of late-breaking developments from around the world. Joy Y. Wu, MD, PhD, discusses her use of Twitter and why it has been so vital during the COVID-19...
