Paediatric Type 2 Diabetes Presentation and Trends Four Years Pre- and Post-COVID-19 Pandemic in Klang Valley, Malaysia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15605/jafes.040.02.25Keywords:
COVID-19 pandemic, diabetic ketoacidosis, type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesityAbstract
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 diabetic
ketoacidosis (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 and
12.0 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.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Yee Lin Lee, Nalini M Selveindran, Fatin Farihah Nasir, Azriyanti Anuar Zaini, Nurshadia Samingan, Poi Giok Lim, Muhammad Yazid Jalaludin
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