Could COVID-19 in kids cause diabetes? Here's what one expert says

Researchers studied two different databases of children and teenagers who had COVID-19 and found many were more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes a month after getting the virus, compared to those who did not have the virus.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (KXAN) — A recent study explored the relationship between COVID-19 infections and those younger than 18 being diagnosed with diabetes, attempting to deepen the understanding of how they can affect one another.

The Centers for Disease Control study noted researchers already know how having diabetes can complicate a person's ability to fight COVID-19 and said "The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected people with diabetes, who are at increased risk of severe COVID-19."

Researchers studied two different databases of children and teenagers who had COVID-19 and found many were more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes a month after getting the virus, compared to those who did not have the virus.

"Obviously these are observational studies, which mean they look at people who've been infected and control groups who are not, and the risks for diabetes is much higher,” with those who had COVID-19, said Dr. Rexford Ahima, the Director of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism at Johns Hopkins University.

Dr. Ahima explains how COVID-19 could play a role in possibly developing diabetes: "So what happens when you get infected with SARS-CoV-2, which is the virus that causes COVID, the virus goes into multiple tissues and can directly infect different organ systems, including the cells that make insulin, for example. It can disturb it to make not enough insulin as it should."

The study from the CDC reported some limitations. For example, the study said it did not look into other risk factors for diabetes. It also said it didn't have specifics on whether people were diagnosed with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, and the data it analyzed came only from groups who had insurance.

Dr. Ahima says parents should know how to protect their kids from COVID-19:  "Get yourself vaccinated. Get your children who are eligible vaccinated."

And, he pointed out parents should also know what to look out for when it comes to diabetes. There are two varieties — Type 1 is genetic and can appear early, while Type 2 can develop over time and can be managed with more than just taking insulin, including diet and exercise, according to Diabetes UK.

"As far as diabetes, obviously in the right setting the blood can be checked and the blood sugar can be checked, so if it's high, it's treatable," he said. "Whether you go on to sustain diabetes is another story.”