2024-03-14 18:19:39
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The Covid-19 pandemic led to an increase in cases of type 1 diabetes in children and adolescents. Researchers suspect a connection with the corona virus.
During the corona pandemic, the number of children and young people suffering from type 1 diabetes increased significantly. Current data suggests that an above-average number of cases were preceded by a Covid-19 infection. However, the connection between Corona and diabetes is anything but amazing. After all, scientists have long suspected a connection between viral infections and type 1 diabetes.
Link between Covid and diabetes risk
Unlike type 2 diabetes, type 1 diabetes is not associated with an unhealthy lifestyle. Rather, viral diseases could be responsible for the onset of the disease. © Panthermedia/Imago
Those affected often develop type 1 diabetes at a young age. Unlike the widespread type 2 diabetes, this variant cannot be attributed to lifestyle or genetic predisposition. In most cases, the trigger appears to be an autoimmune disease. The body’s own immune cells mistakenly attack and destroy the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. Blood sugar can only be controlled by regularly injecting insulin.
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The incidence of type 1 diabetes has been slowly increasing since the 1980s. During January 2020 and June 2021, the number of children and adolescents diagnosed with the autoimmune disease also increased exceptionally. About three months after most corona infections, the incidence of type 1 diabetes also reached its peak.
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Consequences of the corona pandemic: Infection in early childhood increases the risk of diabetes
As part of their current study, a team of researchers investigated Helmholtz Centre Munich and the TU Dresden, what connection there is between type 1 diabetes and a previous Covid-19 infection. To do this, they analyzed a data set from the Bavarian Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians – including around 1.1 million children aged four to 24 months. This allows conclusions to be drawn about a temporal connection between COVID-19 illness and the occurrence of type 1 diabetes. The results were published in the specialist journal „Journal of the American Medical Association“ (JAMA) published.
The result: Among the children examined between the ages of two and twelve, type 1 diabetes occurred around 50 percent more frequently between 2020 and 2021 than in 2018 and 2019. Children who contracted Covid-19 were also more common affected by type 1 diabetes than children who have not had an infection. The risk of developing type 1 diabetes was increased by 57 percent. US researchers also came to similar results. According to the scientists, the incidence of type 1 diabetes also increased sharply in the USA in 2020 and 2021 compared to previous years.
Diabetes and Corona – the body’s immune reaction to previous infection
“The temporal relationship between the appearance of islet autoantibodies and SARS-CoV-2 infection in these children is striking. “The most significant finding, however, is that the risk of developing islet autoantibodies was highest in children infected with SARS-CoV-2 before 19 months of age and especially at one year of age,” explains research group leader Ezio Bonifacio in a statement Press release. “These children had an approximately five to ten-fold increased risk of developing islet autoantibodies, which lead to type 1 diabetes later in life,” continued Ezio Bonifacio. The name “island autoantibodies” is derived from the so-called islets of Langerhans, the island organ in the pancreas.
This article only contains general information on the respective health topic and is therefore not intended for self-diagnosis, treatment or medication. It in no way replaces a visit to the doctor. Our editorial team is not allowed to answer individual questions about medical conditions.
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