Children who recover from Covid are at significantly heightened risk of developing diabetes, according to a major study from the USA
A large-scale study from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found a significant number of children who had had Covid went on to develop Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes.
Researchers examined the health insurance records of more than 2.5 million American children and those who had had Covid were 31 per cent more likely to develop diabetes.
Dr Sharon Saydah, lead author of the study, said it is not yet clear whether Covid-induced Type 2 diabetes fades over time, reports The Telegraph.
A spike in diabetes among children who had Covid has been noticed around the world throughout the pandemic.
Four NHS trusts in London saw 30 children with new-onset Type 1 diabetes between late March and early June 2020. Normally that number would have been no higher than four children.
Infections can sometimes highlight a pre-existing condition such as diabetes, but another US study found that Covid-19 can infect and damage insulin-producing cells in the pancreas - potentially triggering diabetes.
A study by the Office for National Statistics and University College London and the University of Leicester found five percent of 47,000 patients were later diagnosed with diabetes. A similar study in China found 2.4 percent of patients went on to develop diabetes.
Dan Howarth, head of care at Diabetes UK, told the Telegraph: "The growing evidence suggesting coronavirus might be triggering diabetes in some people is concerning, but there’s still a lot more to learn.
"Research is ongoing and it’s important we gain a full understanding. Some diabetes symptoms, like fatigue, may appear similar to those brought on by long Covid and it could be easy to mistake one for the other. If you’re experiencing any symptoms of diabetes – whether you’ve had coronavirus or not – you should seek help from your GP."
