Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that children who have recovered from Covid-19 are at significantly greater risk of developing Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes.
According to some studies, adults who have undergone Covid treatment have a higher chance of developing diabetes. European researchers have noticed an increase in Type 1 diabetes cases in children since the pandemic.
The C.D.C. The C.D.C. study was the first to examine large insurance claims databases in the United States to estimate new diabetes diagnoses in children aged under 18 who had Covid, or were previously infected with coronavirus.
Two claim databases from U.S. Health Plans were used to examine diabetes diagnoses in children under 18. The study began March 1, 2020 and ended March 1, 2020. It compared those who had Covid with others.
The researchers found diabetes increases in both data sets. However the relative rates of diabetes were quite different. They found a 2.6-fold rise in new diabetes cases among children in the first and a smaller 33% increase in the second.
“Even a 30 percent increase is a big increase in risk,” said Sharon Saydah, a researcher at the C.D.C. Lead author of the study. She explained that the differences could be due to different methods of classifying children with Covid.
Dr. Saydah stated that it wasn’t yet clear if post-Covid Diabetes would be a permanent condition or a temporary condition that resolves. The majority of the children were followed for less than four and a quarter months.
This finding highlights the importance to vaccinate all eligible children against Covid, she said, adding that measures like masking or distancing are important, especially for the youngest who can’t be vaccinated.
“It’s really important for clinicians, pediatricians and parents to be aware of the signs and symptoms of diabetes, so they can get their kids diagnosed,” Dr. Saydah said. You may notice symptoms such as increased thirst, frequent urination and fatigue.
She also noted that obesity and sedentary behaviors, both of which have increased in the wake of the pandemic, are risk factors for developing diabetes.
Many of the children in the study were only diagnosed after having an episode of diabetic ketoacidosis, a life-threatening complication that occurs when the body doesn’t have enough insulin to allow blood sugar into cells to use for energy.
Dr. Saydah, along with her colleagues, did not differentiate between types of diabetes. In their analysis, they included Type 1 and Type 2. Both those who had been diagnosed with Covid and those who did not have symptoms but were tested positive for it, saw increases.
A second study was also released by the C.D.C. on Friday. It found that two doses Pfizer BioNTech vaccine protected hospitalized kids between the ages. 12 and 18 against severe multisystem inflammatory disorder, or MISC, which can develop up to six weeks after infection.
The study examined 24 hospitals in 20 states during the Delta variant’s dominant period, which was July to Dec. 9, 2021. It concluded that vaccination against MIS–C had a 91% success rate. It also noted that 38 of the 38 patients admitted to the hospital who needed life support were all unvaccinated.
Source: NY Times
