Could Sars-CoV2 have something to do with an increase in diabetes among kids? Elizabeth Tracey reports

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People who’ve had Covid-19 are at increased risk to develop type 2 diabetes, several studies have shown. Is the virus behind an observed increase in type 2 diabetes among kids? Sheela Magge, a pediatric endocrinology expert at Johns Hopkins and one author of a study looking at this increase, comments.

Magge: There are also some relationships that have been brought about by whether the infection of the virus itself can have an impact on the beta cells. In our study most of our patients did not have a diagnosis of Covid 19 at the time of their presentation. We don’t know if they had recently had it, we couldn’t say. We want to follow these kids forward to see, does this tendency of these increased rates, does it continue? Already before the pandemic we were seeing increases in type 2 diabetes.  :31

Magge says it’s important to identify what’s behind this increase so steps can be taken to intervene and hopefully reverse the condition. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.