We have all been warned (and warned and warned) of the danger to our communities and our own health that COVID-19 can pose.
We have had statistics thrown at us at an alarming rate, confusing us and making us question what is and what isn’t.
But a statistic that seems to have been overlooked by most, with the exception of a few scientists in the UK, is the possible link between COVID-19 and the onset of Type 1 Diabetes.
As part of an ongoing study in the UK, doctors noticed that the number of Type 1 Diabetes diagnoses had doubled in 2020 compared to the same time last year in two hospitals.
Delving further, it was determined that many of the children with the new onset diagnosis had previously been exposed to or had active coronavirus.
No one knows what causes Type 1 Diabetes and there have been so many studies aimed at attempting to solve that mystery. The most accepted theory is that a virus causes the body to attack itself as an immune response. After all, Type 1 is an autoimmune disease.
The Researchers in the UK seem to think that COVID-19 has caused an autoimmune response in some children, killing off the body’s beta cells that are responsible for producing insulin.
Could COVID-19 mean that we are about to see a jump in the number of Type 1 diagnoses? If there is any possibility of that happening, it is extremely important that we know the signs and symptoms.
I fully believe that the scariest part of Type 1 is the initial diagnosis.
While there is a lot of information out there about the symptoms of Type 1, the info isn’t so widespread that the majority of the population sees or is aware of it.
I didn’t know what Type 1 was until my own daughter was diagnosed in November 2018. Because a lot of people don’t know what the symptoms are most diagnoses occur once someone has reached the point of being in diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA, for short).
DKA has a lot of the same symptoms as the flu or a stomach virus and is often overlooked by parents or misdiagnosed in children the first time they are taken to their doctors. Sadly, the outcome of misdiagnosed DKA and untreated Type 1 is severe and, if not corrected quickly, fatal.
In the month before my daughter’s diagnosis, she had the following symptoms:
- Being tired – typical teenager, right?
- Headaches – but she was on a computer all day (summit online learning platform) so of course she had some eye strain.
- Stomach aches
- Excessive drinking of fluids – this wasn’t apparent until the week before her diagnosis
- Lack of appetite – just picking here and there
- Mood swings – again, typical teenager.
The problem was that no one person was seeing all of the symptoms since the headache and fatigue usually happened during school.
Since she was in school, I saw her eat one meal a day which was usually after basketball practice or a game, so I didn’t blame her for not being hungry. No one noticed everything until the week before her diagnosis.
She lost approximately 20 pounds in a week and a half period. She looked wain and weak and her eyes just lost that shine that they have always had.
I had a serious conversation with her on a Friday night. She told me about some of the things she had been feeling and confided in me that kids at school were calling her anorexic.
Of course, this made all kinds of red flags go up. I made sure she ate her meals before she was allowed to have milk or water. Trips to the bathroom had to happen with the door open (no one watching, just within ear shot). Teenage girls are very prone to body issues, and I was terrified that my daughter was a victim of an eating disorder.
Within 24 hours, she would be in the Pediatric ICU at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, fighting for her life.
She was admitted with a blood glucose over 1,000. She was almost tachycardic. The attending physician in the ER we first visited (she was sent to Cincy Children’s via MedFlight) was floored that she was not in a coma.
Her body had been wasting away and eat itself because she was no longer receiving any of the energy from the carbs she was eating. Her cells thought she was starving herself.
And I missed it.
Right under my nose.
Right under her teachers’ noses.
I don’t blame anyone, but it is hard not to feel extreme guilt for not seeing it and identifying it. I constantly have to remind myself – I didn’t know.
Because I didn’t know, I almost lost my child. I can’t do anything about that now, but I can do my best to make other parents aware of the signs and symptoms so that it doesn’t happen to them.
COVID-19 is still seemingly going strong and doesn’t seem to be going anywhere any time soon, and flu season is quickly approaching.
Keep in mind that DKA from T1D is often misdiagnosed as the flu. If your child has the following symptoms (even if it isn’t all of them), please call your doctor and get an appointment. Push them to check their blood sugar or a1c and be your child’s advocate. It could save their life.
Disclaimer: The information on this post is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. All content, including text, graphics, images and information, contained on or available through this post is for general information purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your health.
About the Author
Gayla Wright
Gayla is a 30 something native of Eastern Kentucky, transplanted to Georgetown in June 2012. She is the mother of 3 children, ages 14, 9, and 3, one of whom is a Type 1 Diabetic. She is a paralegal by trade, and an avid sports mom on the side. She enjoys hiking around the state and has recently begun enjoying kayaking.