news-date">10.10.2022
In a cross-site review of medical records, American researchers observed that during the COVID-19 pandemic type 2Diabetes increased sharply in children and adolescents.
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A paper published in the Journal of Pediatrics reports an increase in diagnoses of type 2 diabetes in children. It remains unclear whether the viral infection itself was a factor in the increase. Switching to homeschooling and skipping sports and school activities likely increased risk as “environmental factors,” the authors said.
Sheela N. Magge, associate professor of pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and first author of the paper, said reduced physical activity and weight gain are known risk factors for type 2 diabetes. “During the COVID-19 lockdown, children have been disrupted from their normal daily routines of school, sports and other hobbies,” Magge added. “Not only were they less physically active, they had to stay home and spent far more time watching TV, playing video games, or interacting with other electronic devices.”
Type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition that affects the body’s ability to regulate, use, and process sugar in the body. Without treatment and control, it can lead to heart disease, nerve and kidney damage, blurred vision and other irreversible organ damage. Magge added that previous research from other institutions has shown that children diagnosed with diabetes appear to develop complications more quickly than adults.
77% increase in new diagnoses
For the current study, the US scientists compared the rates of new type 2 diabetes in people aged 8 to 21 in the two years before the pandemic (03/01/2018 to 02/29/2020) up to the first year of the pandemic (03/01/2020 to 02/28/2021).
The researchers identified 3,113 children, adolescents and young adults aged 8 to 21 years from 24 centers in the United States during this period. The average number of new diagnoses per year in the two years before the pandemic rose from 825 to 1,463 in the first year of the pandemic, a 77% increase.
During the pandemic, more boys than girls developed type 2 diabetes
In the first year of the pandemic, records showed that more boys (55%) were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes than girls (45%) – a reversal of the percentages in the years before the pandemic. “This was one of the more unusual findings of our study,” commented pediatric endocrinologist Risa Wolf, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and second author of the study. “We typically see more girls than boys newly developing type 2 diabetes, although it’s unclear why.”
minorities particularly affected
Compared to the rates in previous years, the number of diagnoses in young patients of South American origin almost doubled in the first year of the pandemic and doubled in young patients of African descent. In patients of Caucasian (European) origin, the investigators noticed a decrease in cases.
Type 2 diabetes is already known to disproportionately affect minorities and families with socioeconomic burdens, and the new study shows such disparities have deepened, Magge explained.
Children probably received medical treatment later in the pandemic year
In addition, more young patients were recorded as outpatients in the years before the pandemic (57%) than in the year of the pandemic. More adolescents newly diagnosed with the disease were hospitalized in the pandemic year (57%). This indicates that they were already suffering from more severe symptoms at the time of diagnosis.
Overall, the researchers found that 21% of young people already had “acute metabolic imbalances”, their most serious symptoms Vomit, lethargy (apathy), confusion and rapid breathing. Before the pandemic, such signs appeared in only 9% of children with new-onset type 2 diabetes. However, since the study evaluated the medical records in retrospect, it is possible that some information was not complete, the authors qualified.
“We have to make sure that we identify patients early so that we can treat them early and prevent complications,” emphasized Wolf.
Wolf also advised that parents talk to their children’s pediatricians about weight gain. Magge added, “Now is the time to give children extra attention to exercise and a healthy diet.”
Sources: EurekAlert! Johns Hopkins Medicine, Journal of Pediatrics