Health Tip of the Week, sponsored by Baton Rouge General: Can kids get diabetes after COVID-19?

The medical community has been following a link between severe COVID-19 infections and new cases of diabetes, and researchers found that children who contract COVID are significantly more likely to later be diagnosed with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. However, one big unknown is whether the onset of type 2 diabetes after COVID will become a chronic condition for children, or something that eventually resolves itself. The connection between the two diseases may be because the coronavirus attacks cells in the pancreas, which produces insulin to help the body maintain normal sugar metabolism. If your child has recently had COVID-19, pay attention to new symptoms like excessive urination, excessive thirst, blurry vision, fatigue, and unexplained weight loss.

Learn more about the link between childhood diabetes and COVID.