Type 1 diabetes, which is usually diagnosed in younger people and is associated with failure of the pancreas to produce insulin, has long been suspected to be the result of an overresponsive immune system, possibly due to viral infection, including respiratory viruses.

Although several case reports have suggested a link between new-onset type 1 diabetes and SARS-CoV-2 infection in adults, there is limited evidence for children, the researchers said.

The Norwegian Emergency Preparedness Registry for COVID-19 is updated daily, providing individual-level data on PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections, vaccinations for COVID-19, and disease diagnoses from primary and secondary health care services.

In the study, researchers observed children from March 1, 2020, until they were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, turned 18, died, or reached the end date of March 22, 2022.

During the two-year period, the team identified 424,354 children who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection and 990 cases of type 1 diabetes diagnosis among the 1.2 million children and adolescents included in the study.

Adjusting for age, gender, country of origin, geographic region, and socioeconomic factors, the team found that young people infected with COVID-19 were 60 percent more likely to develop type 1 diabetes 30 days or more after infection, in compared to those with no recorded infection or who had tested negative for COVID-19.

“Our nationwide study suggests a possible association between COVID-19 and new-onset type 1 diabetes,” said Dr. Hanne Løvdal Gulseth, lead author and director of research at NIPH.

Gulset noted that the increase could be due to delays in seeking care due to the pandemic, but additionally “several studies have shown that SARS-CoV-2 can attack beta cells in the pancreas that produce insulin, which could lead to the development of type 1 diabetes. It is also possible that the inflammation caused by the virus leads to a flare-up of already existing autoimmunity.”

Despite these findings, Gulset showed that the absolute risk of developing type 1 diabetes was low, increasing from 0.08% to 0.13%. “The vast majority of young people who get COVID-19 will not go on to develop type 1 diabetes, but it is important that clinicians and parents are aware of the signs of type 1 diabetes symptoms,” he said.

The team also noted that their study was observational and does not prove cause and effect. Only children who had a PCR test, not a lateral flow test, and had symptomatic infections were included, which may limit the conclusions of the study. In addition, there was no significant association between vaccination and type 1 diabetes, the researchers said in a presentation.

Future studies could include longer follow-up as well as additional focus on SARS-CoV-2 virus variants to determine the reason for the increased risk for type 1 diabetes, the researchers said. Related reading Copyright © 2022 LabPulse.com