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Pediatric COVID-19 and Diabetes: An Investigation into the Intersection of Two Pandemics

Authors :
Silvia Fotea
Cristina Mihaela Ghiciuc
Gabriela Stefanescu
Anca Lavinia Cianga
Cristina Maria Mihai
Ancuta Lupu
Lacramioara Ionela Butnariu
Iuliana Magdalena Starcea
Delia Lidia Salaru
Adriana Mocanu
Tatiana Chisnoiu
Aye Aung Thet
Lucian Miron
Vasile Valeriu Lupu
Source :
Diagnostics, Vol 13, Iss 14, p 2436 (2023)
Publication Year :
2023
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2023.

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a complex infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and it currently represents a worldwide public health emergency. The pediatric population is less prone to develop severe COVID-19 infection, but children presenting underlying medical conditions, such as diabetes mellitus, are thought to be at increased risk of developing more severe forms of COVID-19. Diabetic children face new challenges when infected with SARS-CoV-2. On one hand, the glycemic values become substantially more difficult to manage as COVID-19 is a predisposing factor for hyperglycemia. On the other hand, alongside other risk factors, high glycemic values are incriminated in modulating immune and inflammatory responses, leading to potentially severe COVID-19 cases in the pediatric population. Also, there are hypotheses of SARS-CoV-2 being diabetogenic itself, but this information is still to be confirmed. Furthermore, it is reported that there was a noticeable increase in the number of cases of new-onset type 2 diabetes among the pediatric population, and the complications in these patients with COVID-19 include the risk of developing autoimmune diseases under the influence of stress. Additionally, children with diabetes mellitus are confronted with lifestyle changes dictated by the pandemic, which can potentially lead to the onset or exacerbation of a potential underlying anxiety disorder or depression. Since the literature contains a series of unknowns related to the impact of COVID-19 in both types of diabetes in children, the purpose of our work is to bring together the data obtained so far and to identify potential knowledge gaps and areas for future investigation regarding COVID-19 and the onset of diabetes type 1 or type 2 among the pediatric population.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
20754418
Volume :
13
Issue :
14
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Diagnostics
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.423d4ce25a964b5db6a6278f0574255e
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics13142436