PhD Scientific Days 2022

Clinical Medicine VIII.

Previous SARS-CoV-2 Infection Rate and Clinical Parameters of Children with Newly Diagnosed Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

Text of the abstract

Introduction: The novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is being linked to more and more health conditions and diseases diagnosed after the infection. Several studies were conducted on the connection between the virus and type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM).
Aims: Our aim was to examine whether the previous SARS-CoV-2 infection could have an effect on the clinical parameters, metabolic disturbances and autoimmune comorbidities (autoimmune thyroiditis and coeliac disease) of children with newly diagnosed T1DM.
Methods: We collected the data of all children with newly diagnosed T1DM between March, 2021 and February, 2022 at the Diabetes Unit of the 1st Department of Paediatrics, Semmelweis University. We recorded their sex, age, the incidence of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and the value of HbA1c at diagnosis, the proportion of autoimmune comorbidities, the T1DM specific autoantibodies and the presence (COVID+ group) or absence (COVID- group) of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. We assessed whether these values have changed since the pre-pandemic year. We have chosen a control group for children diagnosed during the third coronavirus wave (March-June 2021) to compare the rate of SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity.
Results: We have diagnosed 62 children with T1DM and could determine the SARS-CoV-2 serostatus in 52 of them. There were significantly more girls in the COVID+ group (p=0,0002). There were no differences in the age, incidence of DKA, HbA1c values and the ratio of autoimmune comorbidities between the two groups. However, compared to the pre-pandemic period, the number of those with at least one autoimmune comorbidity had significantly risen (p=0,03). Children who were newly diagnosed with T1DM during the third coronavirus wave had a SARS-CoV-2 positivity rate of 52,38 %, while the control group (known T1DM children) had 22,72 % (p=0,04, odds ratio: 3,74).
Conclusion: The rate of SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity and the frequency of autoimmune comorbidities were high among newly diagnosed T1DM children. Girls had previous SARS-CoV-2 infection in a greater proportion than boys. We did not find significant differences in the clinical parameters of COVID-19 seropositive and seronegative groups. Further studies and registers are needed to clarify this possible correlation between SARS-CoV-2 and newly diagnosed T1DM.
Funding: None received.