Did COVID-19 Speed Up Type 1 Diabetes Diagnoses? What New Research Shows

Doctors and researchers have noticed more children being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes since the COVID-19 pandemic began. But nobody was sure whether COVID-19 itself caused this increase, or if something else was happening. To investigate, researchers at a pediatric endocrinology clinic reviewed medical records from 351 children diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes between January 2018 and May 2022.

They divided the children into three groups based on respiratory infections: those who had COVID-19, those who had other upper respiratory infections, and those with no known respiratory viral illness. They then compared these groups to see if there were differences in how the disease presented and in the antibody patterns that mark Type 1 diabetes.

When researchers compared the years before the pandemic with the years after, they found no overall increase in new Type 1 diabetes cases. About 46% of the diagnoses in the study occurred before the pandemic, and 54% occurred after—a difference that wasn't statistically significant.

However, this doesn't tell the whole story. When the researchers looked at year-by-year trends, they found that new cases fluctuated significantly. Most notably, diagnoses peaked in 2020, when new annual cases reached 2.4%—a statistically significant jump. This suggests that something specific happened in 2020 that affected diagnosis rates.

The 351 children in the study had an average age of about 9.8 years old. The group was diverse: 48.4% identified as White, 18.2% as African American, 8.3% as Asian, 15.4% as Hispanic/Latino, and 24.8% as other ethnicities. About 59% were male.

At the time of diagnosis, the average hemoglobin A1c—a measure of blood sugar control over the previous months—was 11.5%, indicating significant high blood sugar levels. This is typical for children newly diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.

While this study tracked whether children had COVID-19, other respiratory infections, or no known viral illness, and examined their antibody patterns, the researchers have not yet identified why diagnosis rates spiked in 2020 specifically. The antibody comparisons between groups are still being analyzed and interpreted.

The findings suggest that the relationship between respiratory infections and Type 1 diabetes diagnosis is more complex than a simple cause-and-effect. Understanding what drove the 2020 peak—whether viral triggers, changes in screening practices, or other factors—requires further investigation.

Source: Frontiers in endocrinology. Evidence type: PubMed indexed literature. Type1Cure is an information and intelligence hub, not a medical advice service. This article summarizes published research and does not provide diagnosis, treatment, or personal medical guidance. Always talk to your own care team before changing anything about your Type 1 diabetes management.