Decline in case rates of youth onset type 2 diabetes in year three of the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract Objectives To determine changes in case rates of youth onset type 2 diabetes in the three years following the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A single-center, retrospective medical record review was conducted for patients newly diagnosed with T2D between 3/1/18 and 2/28/23 at a pediatric tertiary care center. The number of patients referred to CHLA with a T2D diagnosis date between 3/1/2020 and 2/28/2023 was compared to historical rates between 3/1/2018 and 2/29/2020. χ 2 or Fisher’s exact test was used to compare categorical variables between each year and 2019. Results Compared to prepandemic baseline (3/1/19–2/29/20, 11.8±3.7 cases/month), there was a significant increase in new T2D monthly case rates in pandemic year 1 (3/1/20–2/28/21, 20.1±6.0 cases/month, 171 %, p=0.005) and pandemic year 2 (3/1/21–2/28/22, 25.9±8.9 cases/month, 221 %, p=0.002). Case rates declined in pandemic year 3 to 14.5±4.1 cases/month (3/1/22–2/28/23, p=0.43). Compared to prepandemic year 1, the frequency of DKA at diagnosis was higher in pandemic year 1 (13.3 vs. 5.0 %, p=0.009). The DKA rate in pandemic years 2 (6.8 %) and 3 (3.4 %) were comparable to prepandemic year 1 (p=0.53 and 0.58, respectively). Conclusions Youth onset type 2 diabetes cases and DKA rates in year 3 of the pandemic have returned to prepandemic level.