The next epidemic is set to hit the UK by 2030 and it will affect one in ten people

Type 2 diabetes can be a 'devastating diagnosis' says expert

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Fighting COVID-19 with every weapon the UK can throw at it has come at a catastrophic cost. The enormous backlog of health issues is amounting to a public health crisis. A new warning issued by doctor Quinton Fivelman PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at London Medical Laboratory highlights the urgent need to prepare for another looming epidemic.

By 2030 diabetes cases in the UK will have risen by 50 percent compared to 2007 levels, according to Diabetes UK.

That’s largely down to an alarming rise in the level of obesity, but there is increasing evidence that COVID-19 may also be triggering new cases, doctor Fivelman has warned.

As the doc explained, diabetes is escalating rapidly in the UK population, usually linked to factors such as weight, lifestyle, age and family history.

In the last year he believes there is evidence that there could also be a link with COVID-19.

“One in ten people will have diabetes by the end of the next decade, and one in three will be at much increased risk of developing it,” warned doctor Fivelman.

He continued: “This increase in diabetes could, in some cases, be linked to Covid.

“New research has revealed Covid could be triggering the disease in previously healthy people, and potentially significantly worsening cases for some pre-existing diabetics.”

As doctor Fivelman explained, diabetes is a disease in which people’s blood sugar levels become too high.

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If not treated quickly, it can lead to heart attacks, kidney failure, strokes, amputation, and blindness.

There are two types of the disease: Type 1 is the most severe and symptoms can develop over weeks or even days; Type 2 is by far the most common, and symptoms develop more slowly and may not be as obvious.

Fortunately, there is a simple blood test (HbA1c) which will categorically confirm whether or not you have Type 2 diabetes – even in the earliest stages, long before any symptoms have developed.

“The first signs that you may have diabetes are that you urinate more often, are frequently thirsty, are often tired, have unexpected weight loss or suddenly suffer from blurry eyesight,” warned doctor Fivelman.

“Keeping your blood sugar levels normal requires the proper balance of glucagon and insulin secretion at the appropriate times.”

A lack of insulin secretion can result in Type 1 diabetes.

According to doctor Fivelman, this may be triggered by COVID-19 attacking pancreatic cells.

“The SARS-CoV-2 virus can spread beyond a patient’s respiratory tract and lungs,” he explained.

Doctor Fivelman cited Two US studies released this summer, from Weill Cornell Medicine and Stanford University School of Medicine, which showed COVID-19 in pancreatic β-cells from patients who died from Covid-19.

Additional experiments revealed that COVID-19 selectively infected human islet β-cells in laboratory experiments.

“This suggests that COVID-19 infection of the pancreatic β-cells can, in some cases, lead to diabetes similar to Type 1 diabetes in previously healthy patients,” explained doctor Fivelman.

He continued: “It is already acknowledged in the UK that patients with pre-existing diabetes have a higher risk of serious complications with COVID-19, they are on the UK priority vaccine list.

“The way COVID-19 penetrates organs is a particular concern. The virus interacts with a receptor called ACE-2 to infiltrate cells in organs, including the pancreas. It is likely that this disrupts sugar metabolism.”

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