Is Type 1 Diabetes a Post-Acute Sequela of COVID-19?

Abstract

Twinkle Trehan, Neha Bajaj, Ananya Sri Talanki and Thirunavukkarasu Sathish

Type 1 diabetes is a global health problem [1], as is the corona- virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) [2]. Whether new-onset type 1 diabetes is a consequence of COVID-19 has been a subject of considerable debate within the medical community [2, 3]. In a recent meta-analysis, epidemiological data from seven cohorts across six studies involving over 11 million children and adoles- cents were synthesized [4]. The analysis showed that the risk of developing type 1 diabetes was 42% higher among long-COVID patients than those without COVID-19 (risk ratio: 1.42, 95% CI 1.13, 1.77) [4]. Notably, most cohorts (5 out of 7) showed a pos- itive association. The risk ratios from all four U.S. cohorts and the Norway cohort were significant and greater than one, while those from the Scotland and Denmark cohorts were less than one and non-significant. Variations in study results could be attribut- ed to differences in children’s ages, genetic susceptibility, and vaccination status, specific pandemic periods studied, duration of follow-up, confounding variables adjusted for in regression models, and rates of severe acute respiratory syndrome corona- virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) testing.

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