COVID-19 May Increase Risk of Diabetes in Children, Study Finds - Prevention.com

Children who contract COVID-19 are significantly more likely to develop type 1 or type 2 diabetes more than 30 days following their illness than their peers who weren’t infected, according to a major new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Researchers found that those who were infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, were 2.66 times more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than kids who never contracted the novel coronavirus.

These results, released by the CDC on January 7, come as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are skyrocketing in young people among the rapid rise of the Omicron variant.

Type 1 is often diagnosed during adolescence and considered an autoimmune disease; type 2 more frequently develops in middle age and has a strong genetic component, the ADA says.

Both types of diabetes are more likely to be diagnosed in kids with COVID-19 than those who never had it, the CDC study says.

It’s also plausible that COVID-19 could trigger autoimmune disease in people, he explains, potentially causing type 1 diabetes.

It’s most common in people with type 1 diabetes, the CDC says, although it is possible in those with type 2.

“These symptoms can include frequent urination, increased thirst, increased hunger, weight loss, tiredness or fatigue, stomach pain, and nausea or vomiting.” Although these symptoms are more associated with type 1 diabetes, per the ADA, the study does not distinguish between the two types.

As COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations rise, especially among young people, the CDC is also stressing the importance of safety measures like vaccines and boosters for all eligible Americans.