Advanced-glycation end-products axis: A contributor to the risk of severe illness from COVID-19 in diabetes patients

Figure 1 The chronic and low-grade inflammatory state preexisting in diabetes patients as well as in one of the most frequent co-morbidities observed in diabetes seems to be particularly exacerbated in coronavirus disease 2019 patients with diabetes. The receptor for advanced-glycation end-products axis hyper- activation, either by ligand-dependent or cognate-ligand independent mechanisms, is emerging as crucial contributor to this huge inflammatory response leading to acute respiratory distress syndrome, endotheliitis and thrombotic complications. ARDS: Acute respiratory distress syndrome; AT1R: Angiotensin II receptor type 1; COVID-19: Coronavirus disease 2019; RAGE: Receptor for advanced-glycation end-products; RAS: Renin-angiotensin system.