Covid infection is linked to an increase in type 1 diabetes in children

Covid-19 appeared to increase the risk of diabetes in children and adolescents in two studies. That did not resolve the debate over whether the coronavirus can cause the chronic condition. The Norwegian Institute of Public Health habituated national health registries to examine new type 1 diabetes diagnoses two years after the pandemic began. They discovered that children who tested positive for the coronavirus were approximately 60% more likely to develop type 1 diabetes.

The researchers examined the risk 30 days after a PCR test confirmed a Covid infection. Another study from Scotland, given at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes conference. They found a heightened risk within a month of the viral illness.

Still, no association after that, the scientists said.

Both studies’ researchers emphasized that their findings do not necessarily imply a cause-and-effect relationship between the coronavirus and diabetes. Other potential culprits mentioned included delays in seeking care during the pandemic. Spreading different viruses, and lifestyle changes caused by lockdowns.

“There are several credible reasons why Covid-19 might lead to the development of type 1 diabetes,” said Jamie Hartmann-Boyce. An associate educator at the University of Oxford’s Nuffield department of first care health sciences.

According to a news published earlier this week in The Lancet medical journal. The number of people going with type 1 diabetes whose pancreas fails to produce the hormone insulin could rise to as many as 17.4 million by 2040, up from 8.4 million last year.

The condition, which has no cure also is most commonly diagnose in young people. It is thought to be cause by genetics and exposure to some pathogens, not just SARS-Cov-2. Still, a broad family is know as enteroviruses. Type 2 diabetes is more common also develops later in life as sedentary lifestyles and weight gain disrupt how the body regulates sugar.