Paediatric Type 2 Diabetes Presentation and Trends Four Years Pre- and Post-COVID-19 Pandemic in Klang Valley, Malaysia
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Background. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has led to a rise in the incidence of obesity both in children and adults. Studies on the effect of the pandemic on Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) trends in children are limited. In this study, we aim to evaluate the frequency, clinical characteristics and demographics of newly-diagnosed paediatric T2DM cases 4 years before and after the pandemic.Methodology. The frequency and clinical data of patients aged ≤18 years with newly-diagnosed T2DM in 4 tertiary centers in urban Malaysia from 18 March 2016 till 17 March 2020 (pre-pandemic) and 18 March 2020 till 17 March 2024 (postpandemic) was collected.Results. Seventy-five (75) patients were recorded with newly-diagnosed T2DM pre-pandemic and fifty-four (54) patients were recorded with newly-diagnosed T2DM post-pandemic. There was no significant increase in T2DM cases and diabeticketoacidosis (DKA) during pandemic and T2DM cases fell to below pre-pandemic levels in the 3rd and 4th year postpandemic. HbA1c and serum glucose were lower post-pandemic than pre-pandemic: 10.1% vs 11.9%, p = 0.008 and12.0 mmol/L vs 16.1 mmol/L, p = 0.038 respectively.Conclusion. The incidence of T2DM and DKA did not increase during the pandemic and further declined in year 3 and 4 post-pandemic. Lower HbA1c and serum glucose in the post-pandemic group may suggest improved screening services and greater access to medical care.
Language: English
Subfield: Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4416536586