Arushi Bidhuri
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Written By: Arushi Bidhuri | Published : September 29, 2021 11:58 AM IST
Image credits by: Type 2 Diabetes Drug May Help Manage Covid Complications
The fatal coronavirus pandemic has revived interest in finding treatments and medications to combat the virus. In the middle of this dreadful pandemic, researchers at the Department of Neural and Behavioral Sciences have developed a drug that can help lower the risk of developing Covid-19 complications, which are slowly becoming more prominent among patients. They found that the drug used to treat obesity and Type 2 diabetes is linked to a lower risk of hospitalization, respiratory problems, and death in Covid-19 patients with Type 2 diabetes six months before being diagnosed with the viral disease.
Like many other viruses, coronavirus too can lead to the onset of other diseases. Patients with pre-existing illnesses, like diabetes, are more likely to experience severe Covid-19 side effects, including death. According to a recent study from the United Kingdom, people with type 2 diabetes accounted for about a third of Covid-19-related deaths in the country. The drug glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) may be able to reduce the risk of severe Covid-19 outcomes. For the study, Penn State College of Medicine researchers examined the electronic medical records of over 30,000 patients with type 2 diabetes who had a positive SARS-CoV-2 laboratory test between January and September 2020.
Based on their anti-inflammatory qualities, researchers hypothesised that patients with type 2 diabetes who take these drugs would be protected from catastrophic Covid-19 results. Dysregulated inflammation, or swelling of body tissues, is common in Type 2 diabetes patients. Inflammatory reactions that are overactive have been linked to severe Covid-19 instances and mortality.
The control group included about 23,000 people with Type 2 diabetes and a Covid-19 diagnosis who were not taking the medications of interest. When compared to patients of similar age, sex, race, ethnicity, body mass index, and pre-existing conditions, patients with Type 2 diabetes who were taking GLP-1R agonists within six months prior to their Covid-19 diagnosis were significantly less likely to be hospitalised, have respiratory complications, and die from the disease for 28 days following their diagnosis.
Patricia Grigson, a professor at Penn State said, "Our results are very promising as GLP-1R agonist treatment appears to be highly protective, but more research is needed to establish a causal relationship between the use of these drugs and decreased risk for severe Covid-19 outcomes in patients with Type 2 diabetes." However, the team believes that this medication should be further studied for potential protective effects against Covid-19 problems.
The study authors believe that vaccines remain the most effective protection against the deadly virus, but additional treatment can help people recover from the disease. But in humanity's millennia-long battle against viruses has proved that vaccines are indeed the best prevention against infections like coronavirus.
As we move forward, scientists might be able to find a coronavirus cure, but until then coronavirus vaccines remain your best bet against the microscopic villain, Covid-19.
(with inputs from agencies)
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