COVID-19 in Two Children with New-Onset Diabetes: Case Reports

• Author(s): Rodrigues, C ; Diamantino, C ; Lança, A ; Fitas, AL
• Date: 2021
• Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.17/3987
• Origin: Repositório do Centro Hospitalar de Lisboa Central, EPE
• Subject(s): COVID-19; Diabetes; Child; HDE END PED
• Document Type: Journal article
• Language: English
• Contributor(s): Repositório da Unidade Local de Saúde São José

Description

Delayed diagnosis, low socioeconomic status and infection have been associated with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) at type 1 diabetes mellitus presentation. A teenager from a low socioeconomic status family, with longstanding weight loss, polyphagia, polyuria, vomiting and abdominal pain, attended the emergency department, also complaining of anosmia and odynophagia. He was diagnosed with COVID-19 and new-onset DKA. The second child had 2 weeks of diabetes symptoms and was admitted with new-onset mild DKA. SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR test was positive, although asymptomatic. Persistent hyperglycaemia with high insulin requirements was a common feature to both patients. Both cases support that SARS-CoV-2 may have an association with rapidly increasing insulin daily needs. In case one, not only fear of COVID-19 delayed hospital attendance but also the setting of a low socioeconomic status family appears to have enhanced the risk for late diagnosis and challenging disease management.