Children who contract Covid-19 are more likely to be diagnosed with type 1 or 2 diabetes later in life, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford, Connecticut on May 13, 2021, was the site of a mass vaccination center. Joseph Prezioso and Joseph PreziosO are pictured.
The images are from the same source.
The study drew millions of healthcare records from medical data analytic companies IQVIA and HealthVerity between March 2020 and June 2021.
According to IQVIA, Covid-infected children were more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than those who hadn't caught the coronaviruses, and were 2.16 times more likely to be diagnosed than those who did.
Children who caught Covid-19 were more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes.
The study said the links between Covid-19 and diabetes are likely complex, but that the two diseases may be connected because of the coronaviruses that attack cells in the pancreas.
The study found that Covid-19 has disproportionately affected minority groups, and that children in those groups face an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
The CDC said the findings show the importance of Covid-19 vaccinations among those eligible.
There was a reported increase in type 1 diabetes diagnoses in European children during the Pandemic, and previous research has found a possible link between Covid-19 and diabetes among adult patients. A November study of more than 3,800 Covid-19 patients found just under half developed high blood sugar levels after contracting the disease.
According to the New York Times, Sharon Saydah, the lead author of the CDC study, is unsure if diabetes will become a chronic condition in children or if it will fade over time.
The director of the CDC said Friday that the number of hospitalizations for children due to Covid-19 reached a record this week as the coronaviruses omicron variant continues to spread. It's critically important that we surround them with people who are vaccine-free to provide them protection, because Covid-related hospitalization rates are still low for this age group compared to adults. The variant of the virus that causes omicron is more transmissible than previous forms, which may be why the rate of hospitalization is up.
Coverage and live updates on the coronaviruses.
