How in Diabetes, the virus in pregnancy, and post-syndrome-COVID-19 roundup?
The
current scientific research on the coronavirus reveals that diabetes may
increase the risk of lengthy COVID-19, that COVID-19 exposure when pregnant is
connected to concerns with baby brain development, and that post-COVID-19
syndrome in children is unusual.
Diabetes may raise the risk of COVID-19 in the long run
According
to a new analysis of seven prior studies, diabetes may increase the chance of
extended COVID-19.
Researchers
looked at studies that followed participants for at least four weeks after they
recovered from COVID-19 to determine who got long-term effects like cognitive
fog, skin issues, sadness, and shortness of breath. According to a presentation
made on Sunday at the American Diabetes Association's annual Scientific
Sessions, people with diabetes are up to four times more likely than people
without diabetes to have lengthy COVID-19. Diabetes appears to be "a
potent risk factor" for long COVID-19, according to the researchers, but
their findings are preliminary because the studies used different methods,
definitions of long COVID-19, and follow-up times, and some looked at
hospitalized patients while others looked at people with milder COVID-19 cases.
The
researchers concluded that "further high-quality studies across diverse
demographics and settings are needed to ascertain if diabetes is actually a
risk factor" for extended COVID-19. In the meantime, after COVID-19,
"careful monitoring of patients with diabetes may be advocated."
COVID-19 levels in the womb are linked to children's learning abilities
Researchers
have discovered that babies born to moms who have COVID-19 while pregnant have
a higher-than-average risk of learning, focusing, remembering, and developing
social skills issues.
They
looked at 7,772 babies born in Massachusetts between March and September 2020
and followed them up until they were 12 months old. During that time, 14.4% of
the babies born to the 222 women who tested positive for the coronavirus during
pregnancy were diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental disability, compared to 8.7%
of babies delivered to moms who avoided the virus while pregnant. SARS-CoV-2
infection during pregnancy was connected to an 86 percent increased risk of a
neurodevelopmental disorder diagnosis in children after accounting for other
neurodevelopmental risk factors such as preterm delivery, the researchers
reported on Thursday in JAMA Network Open. When the infection occurred in the
third trimester, the risk was more than doubled.
The
researchers emphasize that their study was limited in scope, and they cannot
rule out the chance that further neurological impacts would emerge as the
youngsters grow older. Larger and more rigorous investigations, on the other
hand, are needed to rule out other possible causes and prove that the
coronavirus is to blame, scientists say.
Children's post-COVID-19 condition is becoming less common
According
to a new study, the rare but life-threatening inflammatory condition seen in
some children following a coronavirus infection has become increasingly rarer,
with the omicron version producing the majority of infections and more children
vaccinated.
Researchers
looked at data from almost half a million children and adolescents in Denmark
who were infected after omicron became prevalent, with about half of them
developing breakthrough infections following immunization. After a moderate or
asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection, only one vaccinated child and 11 unprotected
children developed Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), which
involves inflammation in the heart, lungs, kidneys, and brain. According to the
researchers, 34.9 MIS-C cases per million unvaccinated children with COVID-19
and 3.7 cases per million vaccinated young COVID-19 patients correspond to
rates of 34.9 MIS-C cases per million unvaccinated children with COVID-19 and
3.7 cases per million vaccinated young COVID-19 patients. They noted that when
delta was prominent, the rate of MIS-C infections was 290.7 per million
unprotected infected youngsters and 101.5 per million among the vaccinated who
had COVID-19.
The fact that vaccinated youngsters had a lower risk of MIS-C shows that the vaccination is preventing the immune system from triggering the lethal inflammatory reaction that is a characteristic of MIS-C, according to the researchers.