HHV-8 and Diabetes in Africa

A diabetic syndrome in sub-Saharan Africans appears to be linked to human herpesvirus 8 infection.

Since the 1960s, an atypical form of diabetes mellitus (DM) has been noted in sub-Saharan Africa. Onset is acute (like that of type 1 DM [DM-1], but at an older age), with severe hyperglycemia and ketosis or ketoacidosis requiring insulin therapy. In most cases, insulin secretion eventually resumes, and the disease then resembles classic type 2 DM (DM-2). Noting DM-1’s association with acute viral infections, researchers performed a cross-sectional investigation to determine whether the atypical condition —“ketosis-prone DM-2”— could be linked to infection with a virus that is endemic in sub-Saharan Africa, human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8).

The study involved 277 black adults of sub-Saharan African origin: 81 with ketosis-prone DM-2 and 106 with …

Reviewing Author

Richard T. Ellison III, MD

Disclosures

Consult/Advisory BoardAcurx Pharmaceuticals, LLC;

Grant/Research SupportDoctors Company Foundation, Massachusetts Department of Public Health

Richard T. Ellison III, MD

Disclosures

Consult/Advisory BoardAcurx Pharmaceuticals, LLC;

Grant/Research SupportDoctors Company Foundation, Massachusetts Department of Public Health

HHV-8 and Diabetes in Africa

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Reviewing Author