Children and teenagers who were infected with COVID-19 are at a higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes than kids who were afflicted with other respiratory illnesses.
Those findings are published in an observational study in the JAMA Network Open. The study analyzed over 600,000 children as part of an effort to find out more about the detrimental long-term consequences of COVID-19.
Specifically, the researchers analyzed electronic health records from January 2020 to December 2022 of children aged 10 to 19 who were infected with either COVID-19 or other respiratory illnesses such as influenza and rhinovirus.
Study on COVID-19 and Type 2 Diabetes Risk in Children
Researchers found that children and teens who had COVID-19 were 50% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes at the six-month mark than those who had other respiratory infections.
Additionally, kids who were obese and weathered a coronavirus infection were 100% more likely to develop the metabolic disorder than their peers with other respiratory illnesses, the study noted.
That said, the absolute risk of developing type 2 diabetes remained well under one percent but was still considered significant by the researchers.
The findings echo those in a 2022 report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that showed an increased risk for kids aged 10 to 18 to develop type 1 or type 2 diabetes after a COVID-19 infection.
"While this doesn't mean every child who gets COVID-19 will develop diabetes, it highlights the need for awareness," Soumya Adhikari, a pediatric endocrinologist at UT Southwestern Medical Center, told Stat News. "For parents, this means keeping a closer eye on their child's health after recovering from Covid-19."
Adhikari was not involved in the study.
What the Researchers Recommend
To prevent the risk of developing diabetes, the study's researchers recommend getting vaccinated against COVID-19. These shots may decrease the risk of a child developing complications or a chronic illness. However, researchers said more study is needed to ascertain how effective a vaccine shot is at preventing the development of type 2 diabetes.
In the research, it was not made clear whether the children and teens received COVID-19 vaccines. The shots were only rolled out to kids aged 5 to 11 in October 2021.
