Diabetes and obesity in children associated with severe forms of Covid

(ANSA) - ROME, JUNE 08 - In the case of Covid-19 disease, children run less risk than adults, but some conditions predispose them to serious forms, such as type 1 diabetes, congenital heart anomalies and obesity.

This is demonstrated by the results of a Jama Network Open study conducted on 43,465 patients aged 18 and under, which add information on the advisability of vaccinating children.

    "Our understanding of Covid-19 in children is limited.

    To date, researchers led by Lyudmyla Kompaniyets, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in Atlanta, Georgia, write - most children infected with SARS-CoV-2 have been asymptomatic or have had mild symptoms, but some have had a serious illness. Previous studies of risk factors among children were limited by small sample sizes that impacted the study's ability to detect statistically significant associations.

    Using a large dataset, we sought to describe common medical conditions associated with the risk of hospitalization or serious illness. "The data was collected from the Premier Healthcare database, which included more than 800 US hospitals. Among 43,465 patients aged equal or under 18 who had had Covid up to January 2021, 12,491 (28.7%) had previous medical conditions and the most common were: asthma (0.2%), neurodevelopmental disorders (3.9%) , anxiety and fear (3.2%), depressive disorders (2.8%) and obesity (2.5%). Only 10% were hospitalized, but of these, nearly 30% required therapy The strongest risk factors were type 1 diabetes and obesity, congenital cardiac and circulatory anomalies.

    Prematurity was an additional risk factor for children younger than 2 years. "Healthcare professionals - the researchers conclude - may consider the need for careful observation and cautious clinical management of children with these conditions and Covid-19". (HANDLE).