Serum levels of ACE2 are higher in patients with obesity and diabetes

OBJECTIVE: As severity of outcome in COVID‐19 is disproportionately higher among individuals with obesity, smokers, patients with hypertension, kidney disease, chronic pulmonary disease, coronary heart disease (CHD), and/or type 2 diabetes (T2D), serum levels of ACE2, the cellular entry point for the coronavirus SARS‐CoV‐2, were examined in these high‐risk groups. METHODS: Associations of ACE2 levels to smokers and patients with hypertension, T2D, obesity, CHD, or COPD were investigated in a single center population‐based study of 5457 Icelanders from the Age, Gene/Environment Susceptibility Reykjavík Study (AGES‐RS) of the elderly (mean age 75 ± 6 years), using multiple linear regression analysis. RESULTS: Serum levels of ACE2 were higher in smokers and individuals with T2D and/or obesity while they were unaffected in the other patient groups. CONCLUSION: ACE2 levels are higher in some patient groups with comorbidities linked to COVID‐19 including obesity and T2D and as such may have an emerging role as a circulating biomarker for severity of outcome in the disease.