Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) represents one of the most frequent chronic illnesses affecting children. The early diagnosis of this disease is crucial, as it plays a key role in preventing the development of a life-threatening acute complication: diabetic ketoacidosis. The etiopathogenetic role of viral infections has long been suggested and emerging data are pointing towards a complex bidirectional relationship between diabetes and COVID-19. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the incidence and severity of new T1DM cases in children in Romania. We analyzed the differences between a group of 312 patients diagnosed with T1DM in the period 2003–2019 and a group of 147 children diagnosed during the pandemic. The data were investigated using statistical analysis of a series of relevant variables. The total number of newly diagnosed T1DM increased by 30.08% in the period March 2020–February 2021 compared to the previous years. The patients in the pandemic group had a higher mean age at the onset of T1DM, were less frequently living in an urban area, and presented a higher mean value of HbA1c. Diabetic ketoacidosis at the onset of T1DM was 67.40% more frequent, and a higher percentage of these patients presented with a severe form. The duration of T1DM symptoms did not differ significantly between the two groups. A number of 8 patients associated SARS-CoV-2 infection at the time of T1DM diagnosis.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, children, Epidemics, early diagnosis, Type 1 diabetes mellitus, diabetic ketoacidosis, 【초록키워드】 viral infection, pandemic, SARS-COV-2 infection, COVID-19 pandemic, severity, Diagnosis, Symptom, Patient, age, incidence, Romania, disease, statistical analysis, Diabetic, Chronic illness, two groups, complex, mean value, life-threatening, bidirectional relationship, not differ, analyzed, significantly, investigated, diagnosed, less, suggested, affecting, diabete, Type 1 diabete, variables, 【제목키워드】 SARS-CoV-2, Impact, New,