The rate of type 1 diabetes diagnoses in children under five has surged in recent years, according to a report released Tuesday by the Child Diabetes Fund (Barndiabetesfonden). The charity highlighted a 62% increase in cases, with 460 children treated in Sweden for the condition in 2022 compared to 283 in 2018.
A significant concern is that nearly one-third of these children required intensive care upon diagnosis. The report suggests a potential connection between the rise in type 1 diabetes and the Covid-19 pandemic, noting that viral infections often precede the onset of this autoimmune condition. “It is frightening that type 1 diabetes is creeping down in age. It’s something we need to think about how to deal with, both in research and in healthcare,” said researcher Åke Lernmark.
The report indicated that children contracting Covid-19 were more likely to develop type 1 diabetes, particularly if their mothers had not been infected or vaccinated prior to the child’s birth. Barndiabetesfonden also noted that while the pandemic may have accelerated this increase, a gradual rise in type 1 diabetes cases had been observed over preceding decades, likely linked to other viral infections.
