Research conducted by Helmholtz Munich in Germany has revealed that COVID-19 infection nearly doubled the rate of progression to type 1 diabetes in high-risk young individuals during the pandemic, compared to those who were not infected with the virus.
The pandemic underscored the increased risk of diabetes following COVID-19. A systemic review published in 2022 indicated that the risk of developing type 1 diabetes was 48% higher, and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes was 70% higher, after SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to those who remained uninfected.
The connection between SARS-CoV-2 infection and the acceleration of type 1 diabetes in individuals already at high risk—defined by the presence of two or more autoantibodies linked to the condition—had been unclear.
In a study published in JAMA, Dr. Anette-Gabriele Ziegler, a professor at Helmholtz Munich, and her colleagues reported on 509 children aged one to sixteen years who were at high risk of developing type 1 diabetes. The study assessed the rates of type 1 diabetes development before and after the pandemic period, spanning from 2015 to 2023. For the study, the start of the pandemic was marked as March 1, 2020.
Before the pandemic, 57 participants developed type 1 diabetes, while 113 developed the condition during the pandemic period. This translated to a pre-pandemic incidence rate of 6.4 per 100 person-years, which surged to 12.1 per 100 person-years during the pandemic.
Among children who contracted SARS-CoV-2 during the pandemic, the incidence rate of type 1 diabetes was 14 per 100 person-years, compared to 8.6 per 100 person-years in those who tested negative for the virus.
The researchers noted that the severity of COVID-19 in the study group was not available, which could have influenced the results.
“The findings are consistent with previously reported acceleration of progression in children with presymptomatic type 1 diabetes by viral infection,” the authors wrote.
“Further studies are required to determine whether COVID-19 also accelerates progression to type 1 diabetes in adults and whether vaccination and monitoring for COVID-19 symptoms should be considered for individuals with presymptomatic type 1 diabetes.”
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