An academic at the Arabian Gulf University (AGU) recently discussed the relation of the genetic factors of diabetic patients and the type of medicines they take with the types and severity of symptoms when they are infected with the novel Coronavirus (Covid-19).
During her participation in the annual Internal Medicine, Diabetes and Obesity (IMDO) Conference, Specialist and Assistant Professor in the College of Medicine and Medical Science in the University Dr Ghada Al Kafaji, delivered a lecture within the topic of genetics and diabetes.
The conference was organised virtually under the patronage of the Supreme Council of Health Chairman Lieutenant General Dr Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, and it was attended by more than 1000 specialists from the GCC, the UK, Europe and the US, and it reviewed more than 80 scientific papers throughout three days.
In the lecture, Dr Al Khafaji highlighted the increase in the number of diabetic patients infected with Covid-19 and focused on the association of mutations and changes in the gene expression of the angiotensin 2 enzyme (ACE2), which contributes to the variation in the severity of symptoms of Covid-19 in diabetics.
Additionally, Dr Al Khafaji explained the relation of some medicines taken by diabetics and hypertensive patients to the level of gene expression for the ACE2 enzyme.
By the end of the lecture, Dr Al Khafaji recommended the necessity of conducting more research to study these genetic mutations and changes in diabetics in the Kingdom of Bahrain, which may contribute to understanding the genetic nature of diabetic patients with Covid-19, and consequently facilitating the identification of the most appropriate treatments.