The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Prevalence of Diabetic Ketoacidosis at Diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes: A Single-Centre Study in Central Pennsylvania

Objective: We conducted this study to investigate whether the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the rate of DKA and previously identified risk factors in children presenting with T1D. Methods: We performed an extension of a retrospective analysis of all paediatric patients (age ≤ 18) newly diagnosed with T1D within a tertiary care referral centre between 01/01/2017 and 09/14/2020. Demographics, insurance coverage and clinical documents 30 days before their T1D diagnosis were abstracted to assess for symptoms at diagnosis, laboratory values (blood glucose, HbA_1c, venous pH and bicarbonate) and any healthcare encounters within 30 days of their diagnosis of T1D. Results: 412 patients with T1D [171 F:241 M; 370 pre-COVID era:42 post-COVID era] were included. The percentages of DKA diagnoses at admission were very similar between the pre-COVID and post-COVID groups (47% vs. 48%), as were the severity (13% vs. 14% mild DKA; 33% vs. 31% moderate or severe DKA). Conclusion: There were no fluctuations in the rate of DKA among paediatric patients newly diagnosed with T1D throughout the coronavirus pandemic in central Pennsylvania.