Diabetes News
Apr 20, 2024
Diabetes and Obesity Bias: Are We Intensifying the Pharmacological Treatment in Patients With and Without Obesity With Equity?
Trends and Factors Associated With Very High Glycemia and Noninitiation of Insulin Therapy in U.S. Adults With Type 2 Diabetes, 1999-2018
COVID-19, Hyperglycemia, and New-Onset Diabetes
Certain chronic comorbidities, including diabetes, are highly prevalent in people with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and are associated with an increased risk of severe COVID-19 and mortality. Mild glucose elevations are also common in COVID-19 patients and associated with worse outcomes even in people without diabetes. Several studies have recently reported new-onset diabetes associated with COVID-19. The phenomenon of new-onset diabetes following admission to the hospital has been observed previously with other viral infections and acute illnesses. The precise mechanisms for new-onset diabetes in people with COVID-19 are not known, but it is likely that a number of complex interrelated processes are involved, including previously undiagnosed diabetes, stress hyperglycemia, steroid-induced hyperglycemia, and direct or indirect effects of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on the β-cell. There is an urgent need for research to help guide management pathways for these patients. In view of increased mortality in people with new-onset diabetes, hospital protocols should include efforts to recognize and manage acute hyperglycemia, including diabetic ketoacidosis, in people admitted to the hospital. Whether new-onset diabetes is likely to remain permanent is not known, as the long-term follow-up of these patients is limited. Prospective studies of metabolism in the setting of postacute COVID-19 will be required to understand the etiology, prognosis, and treatment opportunities.
Long-term Occupational Consequences for Families of Children With Type 1 Diabetes: The Mothers Take the Burden
To investigate the occupational and financial consequences for parents following the onset of type 1 diabetes in their child.
A questionnaire assessing occupational and financial situations before and in the first year after the onset of diabetes was distributed to all families with a child ≤14 years of age at diagnosis with a diabetes duration of at least 12 months in nine German pediatric diabetes centers.
Data of 1,144 children (mean age at diagnosis 6.7 [3.6] years; 46.5% female) and their families were obtained. Mothers’ occupational status reflected in paid working hours was significantly reduced in the first year after their child's diabetes diagnosis (P < 0.001). Overall, 15.1% of mothers stopped working, and 11.5% reduced working hours. Mothers of preschool children were particularly affected. Fathers’ working status hardly changed (P = 0.75). Nearly half of the families (46.4%) reported moderate to severe financial losses. Compared with an earlier similar study in 2003, significant negative occupational consequences for mothers and financial burden on families remained unchanged in 2018 (P = 0.59 and 0.31, respectively).
Mothers of young children with newly diagnosed diabetes experienced negative consequences in their occupational situation. This inequality for mothers can have long-term negative consequences for their mental health and future economic situation. There is an urgent need for action to reduce the burden on families and to provide professional, social, and regulatory support, especially for mothers of young children with diabetes.
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