Children and teens infected with the coronavirus chain are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes compared to children with other respiratory illnesses, according to new research published Monday. .
A study by JAMA Network Open found that children are less likely to be diagnosed with diabetes approximately six months after contracting coronavirus infection than children with other respiratory illnesses, such as seasonal influenza bronchitis. were 50% more likely to
Only in obese children did the odds skyrocket, measured at an astonishingly high 100% compared to other children.
Researchers used health records of more than 60,000 children between the ages of 10 and 19 from January 2020 to December 2022, before the coronavirus was declared a pandemic.
Subject records were divided into two groups. One group is those who have tested positive for coronavirus, and the other group is those who have had all other respiratory illnesses. From there, all correlations with a positive diagnosis of diabetes were noted and studied.
Some of the health records were from before coronavirus vaccines were available to children, as the shots were not approved by the Food and Drug Administration for ages 5 to 11 until October 2021. The study did not record whether participants received the vaccine. or not.
The development of diabetes may also be due to other effects of pandemic lockdowns, such as decreased physical activity and a weakened immune system, Stephen M. Willi, director of the Diabetes Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, told The Washington Post. told the paper.
Willi was not involved in the study and believes the concluded correlation between coronavirus and type 2 diabetes requires further investigation.
Coronavirus is not the only respiratory disease that can cause other autoimmune diseases.
Epstein-Barr virus, commonly known as mononucleosis or the “kissing disease,” has been linked to conditions such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.
Bronchiectasis is known to cause similar autoimmune diseases such as Sjögren’s syndrome and relapsing polychondritis.
Houston pediatrician Anandita Pal told The Washington Post that while the study is significant, parents should not automatically assume that their child will develop diabetes just because they have the coronavirus.
“Autoimmune conditions are based on each person’s genetics, environment, and all other variables,” Pal says.
