Children who have had COVID-19 are twice as likely to develop this chronic condition

A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that children with COVID-19 are twice as likely to develop diabetes as others. These results come as child COVID-19 cases surge due to the novel Omicron variant, with over 580,000 cases reported by the end of the first week of January.

The data examined cases of children and adolescents aged 0 to 17 years who were diagnosed with COVID-19 from March 2020 to June 2021. The researchers found that people with COVID-19 were 2.66 more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than children who had never had COVID-19 exposure to the virus. They were 2.16 times more likely to develop diabetes than children struggling with another respiratory disease.

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Diabetes is a chronic health condition that affects the way we process food. There are two types of diabetes: type 1, in which the pancreas produces little to no insulin, and type 2, which affects the way the body processes glucose. Diabetes makes it difficult to cope with other diseases that tend to impair and burden it. Over 34 million Americans have this condition.

“There is some evidence that the SARS-CoV2 virus may have a negative interaction with the cells that produce insulin,” said Dr. G. Todd Alonso, associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, to Prevention.

In previous research, experts found links between trauma and diagnosis of diabetes in childhood. A Swedish study conducted on over 10,000 families found that children who experienced something stressful in their life – a divorce, illness or death in the family – were three times more likely to develop type 1 diabetes. While the study didn’t immediately say that trauma causes diabetes, it does suggest that stress reduction and mental health care may play a role in prevention.

“We know that there are connections between the brain and the immune system, and it’s not surprising that psychological trauma can affect the immune system and contribute to abnormal responses,” said the study’s lead researcher.

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In the case of the pandemic, the best way to prevent serious illness from COVID-19 is the vaccine. Healthcare providers should be aware of this link between COVID-19 and childhood diabetes, which could help children receive faster diagnoses and better outcomes.