After COVID-Related Increase in Diabetes Among Children: Kids Now Healthier Again

"The significant increase in new cases of type 2 diabetes, which occurred among children and adolescents in 2021 and 2022, has not continued in the following two years," wrote the German Medical Journal about the scientific study that was recently presented at the Diabetes Congress in Berlin.

"Adult-onset diabetes" increasingly common among adolescents

For years, diabetologists and pediatricians have been observing the development of type 2 diabetes in the adolescent group with proverbial "eagle eyes." What was once referred to as "adult-onset diabetes," medically expressed as non-insulin-dependent diabetes, no longer deserves the initial designation. The affected individuals, who make up about 90 percent of diabetics overall, are becoming younger worldwide.

"The number of pediatric cases of type 2 diabetes has been increasing for some time. Obesity and lack of exercise, which can lead to insulin resistance (insufficient response to the body's own insulin; ed.), are responsible," stated the Medical Journal.

The epidemiological development, disease progression, treatment strategies, etc., can best be explored through the evaluation of registers from daily practice. For this purpose, the "Diabetes Patient Progress Documentation" was established by German specialists some time ago. "Currently, over 400 treatment facilities are participating in the initiative, primarily from Germany and Austria, but also from Luxembourg and Switzerland," according to the corresponding homepage of the University of Ulm.

Corona pandemic: Increase in type 2 diabetes among children and adolescents

In Berlin, the development of type 2 diabetes among children and adolescents in recent years was presented. Already in the years 2011 to 2016, an average of 78 new cases per year were documented. From 2017, the number rose to over one hundred new type 2 diabetes cases, with 114 cases in 2019.

However, with COVID-19 from the end of 2019, the number of newly discovered type 2 diabetes cases among children and adolescents in the register suddenly increased very quickly. "According to an analysis by Jessica Bokelmann from the University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein in Kiel, there was a further increase to 133 new cases in 2020. In 2021, 190 cases were registered, corresponding to an incidence of 2.1 cases per 100,000 patient years," stated the German Medical Journal.

Even less physical activity as a result of pandemic-induced lockdowns and even more time in front of the computer due to home-schooling and indoor leisure activities had their effects, for example through weight gain, less fitness, etc. The tip of the iceberg is then non-insulin-dependent diabetes.

End of Covid-19-related restrictions led to declining numbers

However, there is now a silver lining on the horizon. "Since the end of the (Covid-19-related; note) restrictions, the incidence (frequency of new diseases per unit of time and related to the group of people; note) has been declining again. Jessica Bokelmann determined an incidence (type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents; note) of 1.6 for 2022 and 1.5 for 2023 per 100,000 patient years," wrote the German medical journal.

The gender ratio has also changed. Until 2018, more girls than boys were usually affected by type 2 diabetes. In 2019, the ratio was balanced for the first time. In 2020 and 2021, more boys than girls were affected. In 2022 and 2023, the difference was declining and no longer significant.

More sports and exercise: Lower body mass index

The doctor specializing in pediatric diabetology attributed the recent decline in new cases of type 2 diabetes among adolescents to the increase in sports and exercise after the end of the lockdowns. Medical examinations of school beginners from various German federal states for the 2023 school year showed that the children overall had a lower body mass index (BMI) again.

The goal of the DPV initiative by diabetes centers in German-speaking countries is to improve treatment outcomes for people with the disease in routine therapy through standardized documentation and objective comparison of quality indicators. This should also enable cross-border therapy research.

(APA/Red.)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.