A comprehensive Australian study has found no connection between COVID-19 infection and the early stages of type 1 diabetes in children, despite global increases in diabetes cases during the pandemic.
The research, published in JAMA Pediatrics and led by scientists at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), examined blood samples from 1,277 Australian children to investigate potential links between SARS-CoV-2 infection and islet autoimmunity - an early indicator of type 1 diabetes development.
Type 1 diabetes occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. While cases increased worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers have debated whether the virus directly triggered the condition's onset.
The Australian study tracked children from birth to age seven who had family members with type 1 diabetes. Researchers analyzed blood samples and parent surveys to detect both signs of diabetes development and evidence of past COVID-19 infection.
Key findings showed that rates of islet autoimmunity remained stable during and after the pandemic's peak, regardless of whether children had contracted COVID-19. This suggests the virus likely does not trigger the early stages of type 1 diabetes in Australian children.
"Our findings contrast with some Northern Hemisphere studies, possibly due to differences in study populations, age groups examined, and regional pandemic responses," said Dr. Gregory Walker from UNSW's School of Biomedical Sciences.
The researchers note that other pandemic-related factors may have contributed to rising diabetes cases, including changes to children's microbiome exposure during lockdowns and shifts in nutrition patterns.
The research team continues investigating other potential environmental triggers, particularly gut-infecting enteroviruses, which have previously shown links to type 1 diabetes development. Understanding these triggers could lead to preventive interventions like vaccines.
This study represents the only Southern Hemisphere research examining COVID-19's relationship to early-stage type 1 diabetes development in children.