Study Links COVID to Youth Diabetes

Facts

• According to a study published in JAMA Network Open Journal on Friday, more children and adolescents were diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes during COVID compared with before the pandemic.¹
• An analysis of about 42 studies — involving more than 100K youth — between Jan. 2020 and March 2023 was carried out by researchers from the University of Toronto using headings and terms related to COVID, diabetes, and diabetic ketoacidosis.²
• The findings suggest there was a 14% rise in the incidence rate of childhood Type 1 diabetes during the first year of the pandemic and about 27% in the second year of COVID compared to pre-pandemic levels.³
• While the researchers couldn't find the exact cause behind the noted increase in diabetes cases in children and teenagers, they suggest the infection may have dysregulated glucose metabolism, and children susceptible to diabetes fell prey to it.⁴
• Additionally, they noted clinic shutdowns in the early months of COVID could have triggered the surge, concluding "hesitancy to seek care may be an important factor in the observed increased risk..."⁴
• According to a previous study by the University of British Columbia study — which used provincial data and collected the health records of more than 620K people tested for COVID from Jan. 2020 to Dec. 2021 — those with COVID infections were 17-22% at increased risk of developing diabetes within one year compared to those who had not been infected.⁵

Sources: ¹JAMA Network Open, ²NCBI, ³BBC News, ⁴CIDRAP, and ⁵Global News.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by New York Times. Before the pandemic, the incidence rate of childhood Type 1 diabetes was increasing by about 3% a year, which shows the steep rise in childhood diabetes during the pandemic was a direct result of COVID infection. This study adds to the evidence that the coronavirus adversely affected the pancreas, which makes insulin, spiking the children's sugar levels.
• Narrative B, as provided by Medscape. The study is not definitive. More research is needed to understand if the steep rise in childhood diabetes was a direct effect of COVID infection as cases of childhood diabetes continue to rise even after normal life has resumed. It's important to know how much of the risk was based on COVID compared to other factors such as obesity, and the complex interactions between these variables.

Predictions