Coronavirus has multiple effects on the human body, and it seems that more are being added to the list.

People who have endocrine disorders may see their condition worsening as a result of COVID-19, says a new review that’s been published in the Journal of the endocrine Society.

SciTechDaily revealed what experts had to say about this.

“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,” said Noel Pratheepan Somasundaram of the National Hospital of Sri Lanka in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

He continued and explained, “The virus that causes COVID-19 — SARS-CoV-2 — binds to the ACE2 receptor, a protein which is expressed in many tissues. This allows the virus to enter endocrine cells and cause the mayhem associated with the disease.”

The virus can gain entry into the brain

The virus can trigger loss of smell, and it can gain entry into the brain. In the past coronavirus infections such as SARS from back in 2003, a lot of patients have developed a post-viral syndrome with fatigue. This could be caused by adrenal insufficiency which is a condition where the adrenal glands are not making enough cortisol due to the damage tot he pituitary system.

During the SARS epidemic, patients who have developed adrenal insufficiency recovered within one year.

“Testing for cortisol deficiency and treating patients with steroids may become a vital treatment strategy,” Somasundaram said.

He continued and said, “Very recent studies have demonstrated lowered mortality in severely-ill patients with COVID-19 treated with the steroid dexamethasone.”

New mutation of coronavirus

In other news, CNN writes that there’s a global study that managed to find strong evidence that there’s a new form of the coronavirus that has spread from Europe to the US.

This new mutation is making the virus more likely to infect people but it doesn’t seem to make then any sicker compared to the earlier mutations of the virus, according to expert opinions.