New data from Madison, Wis.-based UW Health Kids shows the number of cases of Type 2 diabetes in pediatric patients increasing from 5.8 percent in 2018 to 16.4 percent in 2021, a trend that may be linked to COVID-19, Wisconsin Public Radio reported April 12.
Elizabeth Mann, MD, a pediatric endocrinologist and director of the Type 2 diabetes program at UW Health Kids, said Type 2 diabetes cases among kids have been rising significantly the last few years.
"This trend is worrisome," Dr. Mann said. "Increased rates of pediatric Type 2 diabetes were recognized before the pandemic, but the trend has accelerated since spring 2020."
In 2018, 52 pediatric patients with new onset diabetes were admitted to American Family Children’s Hospital, with only three cases being Type 2 diabetes, while 1 in 6 admitted to the hospital with new onset diabetes had Type 2 this year, according to Dr. Mann.