Autoimmune Type 1 Diabetes Meliitus is on the rise post COVID19 infection in children according to a new study in JAMA Pediatrics
March 7th, 2022
The incidence of this troublesome autoimmune blood sugar problem increased by large numbers.
"New diabetes diagnoses were 166% (IQVIA) and 31% (HealthVerity) more likely to occur among patients with COVID-19 than among those without COVID-19 during the pandemic and 116% more likely to occur among those with COVID-19 than among those with ARI during the prepandemic period. Non–SARS-CoV-2 respiratory infection was not associated with diabetes.
These findings are consistent with previous research demonstrating an association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and diabetes in adults. The inclusion of only patients aged <18 years with a health care encounter possibly related to COVID-19 in the non–COVID-19 HealthVerity group could account for the lower magnitude of increased diabetes risk in this group compared with risk in the IQVIA group. In addition, patients without COVID-19 in HealthVerity had higher hospitalization rates than did those in IQVIA, suggesting more severe disease at the index encounter in the HealthVerity comparison group." (Barrett et. al. 2022)
We have long known that viral infections can trigger autoimmune issues in select individuals. The troublesome part of this reality is the young age of disease onset portends a difficult road ahead for these children unless they eat very healthy and exercise well to mitigate the risks of pancreatic dysfunction.
Dr. M