Incidence of Type 1 Diabetes in Children Before, During, and After the COVID-19 Pandemic: 38-Year Analysis in Southwest Germany

What is it about?

Diabetes incidence rates were calculated using data from the DIARY diabetes incidence registry in southern Germany over the last 38 years. We were able to show that there was a constant increase in the incidence rate of 4% from 1987 to 2007. Subsequently, the incidence rate has not changed further, with the exception of the pandemic years. The incidence rate in recent years was 23.1 per 100,000 children, which is twice as high as in 1987. This trend is comparable to other countries such as Finland, Norway, Australia, and Scotland. During the pandemic years, there was a drastic increase in the incidence rate, especially in the 5-9 age group. Children and adolescents older than 10 years were not significantly affected by this increase. A direct effect of the SARS-CoV-2 virus on beta cells cannot be completely ruled out based on our data, but appears unlikely given the incidence trend. Rather, there was a more rapid progression of earlier stages of diabetes to manifestation, which is consistent with the largest increase in incidence rates among children aged 5–9.

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