Background: Mississippi ranks second for childhood obesity prevalence (22%) above the national average of 16 % with significant racial and health disparities. Since March 2020, stay-at home orders, virtual learning, stress, and poor lifestyle may have provided a perfect setup leading to new diagnosis of diabetes and accounting for record high hospitalizations. Objective: To determine the impact of the COVID-pandemic on the rate and clinical characteristics of newly diagnosed pediatric diabetes at University of Mississippi Medical Center.
Methods: Chart review and data comparison completed for patients with new-onset-diabetes between January 20-February 2020 (pre pandemic) ; and between March 2020-October 2020 (pandemic) .
Results: Table 1. African Americans were disproportionately diagnosed with diabetes (64%) . Eighty percent of obese patients had type 2 diabetes with 38% presenting in DKA, 3 patients in HHS. Four patients were COVID-positive on admission.
Conclusions: Our observations corroborate the steep rise in the number of new-onset type 1 and type 2 diabetes, particularly in African Americans, in a highly prevalent obese pediatric population. Additional studies are required to determine the detailed effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection and pandemic associated psychosocial, clinical and biochemical effects on development of diabetes in the pediatric population.
N.Dixit: Research Support; Ascendis Pharma A/S, Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, Speaker's Bureau; Ascendis Pharma A/S. S.Pasha: None. A.P.Sukumaran: None. K.Armstrong: None. K.Topaloglu: None. L.Gholson: None. F.Kamran: None.
