COVID 19 May Raise The Risk Of Type 1 Diabetes In Children

After the COVID-19 outbreak began, researchers are still learning about its effects. New research has discovered that type 1 diabetes is more likely to develop in children who have had COVID.

The JAMA research Published 22 May 2023; examined data from roughly 1.2 million youngsters in Bavaria. Through December 2019, 1,242 of the youngsters were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Between January 2020 and December 2021, 195,795 children without type 1 diabetes were diagnosed with COVID.

The findings imply that Covid 19 infection contributed to the observed rise in type 1 diabetes incidence during the pandemic. Undiagnosed infection, which accounts for the majority of SARS-CoV-2 (Coronavirus) antibody-positive children, may also have contributed to the somewhat elevated risk of type 1 diabetes seen in children without a COVID-19 diagnosis. Possible causes include the onset of autoimmunity or the acceleration of disease development.

Jama study limitations

The study's limitations include quarterly data collection, which made it impossible to determine whether type 1 diabetes was diagnosed before or after COVID-19 when they occurred in the same quarter; missing viral confirmation in 70% of the diagnosed children; insufficient cases to allow subgroup comparisons; and potential confounding or selection biases. More research is needed to establish if immunization should be recommended in children at risk of developing type 1 diabetes.

The researchers came to the conclusion that COVID was a factor in the "increase in type 1 diabetes incidence during the pandemic."

Jama Research studies based on Covid and diabetes

This is not the first JAMA research to relate COVID to an increased risk of type 1 diabetes in children. A research published in JAMA last year discovered that children with COVID had a 72% greater chance of developing type 1 diabetes than those who had no history of the virus.

However, the association between COVID and diabetes is not limited to children. A February JAMA research indicated that persons with a confirmed COVID infection had a 58% greater probability of being diagnosed with any kind of diabetes than those who had not had the virus.

Another JAMA research published in April discovered that those infected with COVID were considerably more likely to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes within a year of being infected than those who did not have the virus. Men were also more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than women, and those who were hospitalized with the virus were more than twice as likely to be diagnosed.

While experts are cautious to declare that COVID causes diabetes, there is mounting evidence that it may. This study discovered that SARS-CoV-2 infection was linked to an increased incidence of diabetes, implying that these infections may have contributed to an extra burden of diabetes in the population.

Why may COVID cause type 1 diabetes in children?

Many physicians do not believe this is a coincidental relationship. "While these studies don't absolutely, unequivocally establish cause and effect, there's a biological plausibility that this is real," says Thomas Russo, an infectious disease expert at the University of Buffalo.

Thomas Russo, an infectious disease expert at
the University of Buffalo.

The precise rationale for the association — and if COVID-19 truly causes diabetes — is currently being researched. However, there are several ideas as to what is causing this.

The most widely accepted idea is that the virus causes some people to generate autoantibodies, or antibodies directed against their own bodies. "Autoantibodies can develop and be directed toward pancreatic cells that produce insulin, leading to diabetes," says Russo. 

According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, type 1 diabetes develops when the pancreas produces no insulin, but type 2 diabetes happens when the pancreas produces insufficient insulin, leading blood sugar to increase.

COVID-19 may potentially directly harm pancreatic cells, creating insulin production problems. However, COVID produces overall inflammation in the body. That most likely causes inflammation in the pancreas, which may cause it to malfunction.

What should parents know?

Russo emphasizes the necessity of immunization against COVID in children. "Even though their risk of severe disease and poor outcomes is low compared to other populations," he adds, "it may help." Previous research has shown that this association is most prevalent in unvaccinated children. Vaccination isn't without flaws, but it appears to help guard against severe illness and its effects.

Given the prevalence of COVID, Rosso advises parents to be on the alert for diabetic symptoms in their children. "Think about diabetes if you see a child who has vague issues — they're drinking more, peeing more, and are tired," he adds. It is critical for parents and professionals to be aware of this."