Pediatric Health, Medicine and Therapeutics (Sep 2023)
Pediatric Diabetes and Diabetic Ketoacidosis After COVID-19: Challenges Faced and Lessons Learnt
Abstract
Ashish Agarwal,1 Deepankar Bansal,1 Karthi Nallasamy,1 Muralidharan Jayashree,1 Vijai William2 1Division of Pediatric Emergency and Intensive Care, Department of Pediatrics, Advanced Pediatrics Centre, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Chandigarh, India; 2Division of Pediatric Critical Care, Department of Critical Care, Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesCorrespondence: Vijai William, Division of Pediatric Critical Care, Department of Critical Care, Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Tel +971502988149, Email [email protected]: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic affected the management and follow-up of several chronic ailments, including pediatric type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Restricted access to healthcare and fear of contracting the virus during medical facility visits resulted in poor compliance, irregular follow-up visits, treatment, and delayed diagnosis of complications in pediatric diabetes such as diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). As such, the incidence of complicated DKA in resource-limited settings is high due to delayed presentation, poor compliance with therapy, and associated comorbidities such as malnutrition and sepsis. The pandemic had only added to the woes. The increased surge in DKA, in the face of limited resources, prompted clinicians to find alternative solutions to manage these children effectively. In this narrative review, we discuss the key challenges faced globally while caring for children with T1DM and DKA during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the lessons learned thereof.Keywords: SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, diabetes, ketoacidosis, pediatrics
