REVIEW   Free access

Minerva Endocrinologica 2020 September;45(3):204-27

DOI: 10.23736/S0391-1977.20.03216-2

Copyright © 2020 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

COVID-19: the endocrine opportunity in a pandemic

Subhankar CHATTERJEE ¹ ✉, Ritwik GHOSH ², Payel BISWAS ³, Souvik DUBEY ⁴, Rishi T. GURIA ¹, Chandra B. SHARMA ¹, Sanjay KALRA ⁵

¹ Department of General Medicine, Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, Ranchi, India; ² Department of General Medicine, Burdwan Medical College and Hospital, Burdwan, India; ³ Department of Radiodiagnosis, Care and Cure Hospital, Barasat, India; ⁴ Department of Neuromedicine, Bangur Institute of Neurosciences, Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research and SSKM Hospital, Kolkata, India; ⁵ Department of Endocrinology, Bharti Hospital, Karnal, India

The 2019 Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has disrupted the social, economical and medical system worldwide. Although it is strictly an infectious disease, its intricate bidirectional relationship with various non-communicable metabolic diseases and endocrinological factors has been observed. While diabetes, hypertension, obesity have been found to be independent risk factors for COVID-19 disease severity and mortality, more inclination towards sedentary lifestyle, psychosocial stress at this critical time may be the harbingers of metabolic syndrome. Thus, endocrinologists have a great opportunity to play their role to combat this pandemic. This paper examines how various endocrinological disorders influence the dynamics of COVID-19 and vice versa. Moreover, it also intends to review the clinical guidelines to be adopted in practice of endocrinology in this trying time.

KEY WORDS: COVID-19; Endocrinology; Hormones; Diabetes; Obesity; Mortality