Risk for Diabetes Increased for Pediatric Patients With COVID-19

Risk for newly diagnosed diabetes >30 days after acute infection, according to research published in the Jan. 14 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Catherine E. Barrett, Ph.D., from the CDC COVID-19 Emergency Response Team, and colleagues examined the risk for any new diabetes diagnosis >30 days after acute infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 among patients aged younger than 18 years with diagnosed COVID-19 using IQVIA health care claims data from March 1, 2020, through Feb. 26, 2021. The incidence was compared to that of individuals who did not receive a COVID-19 diagnosis during the pandemic or to those who received a prepandemic non-COVID-19 acute respiratory infection (ARI) diagnosis. Analyses were replicated using a second data source (HealthVerity) from March 1, 2020, to June 28, 2021.

The researchers found that in both databases, diabetes incidence was significantly higher among those with COVID-19 than those without COVID-19 (hazard ratios, 2.66 and 1.31 for IQVIA and HealthVerity, respectively) and compared with those with non-COVID-19 ARI in the prepandemic period (hazard ratio, 2.16 for IQVIA).

"These data suggest an increased risk for diabetes among persons aged <18 years with COVID-19, which is supported by independent studies in adults," the authors write. "These findings underscore the importance of COVID-19 prevention among all age groups, including vaccination for all eligible children and adolescents, and chronic disease prevention and treatment."