Prevalence and factors associated with thyroid autoimmunity among children newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes before and during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Evidence from Kuwait

Abstract

AbstractAimsThis study reports the prevalence and characteristics related to the development of thyroid autoimmunity among children newly diagnosed with type I diabetes (T1D) during the COVID‐19 pandemic in Kuwait.Materials and MethodsThis is a prospective observational study of all children under age 14 years newly diagnosed with T1D in Kuwait. We define the duration of the COVID‐19 pandemic from the official declaration of the first identified positive COVID‐19 case on 24 February 2020 until 31 December 2022. For comparison, we use the time period directly before the COVID‐19 pandemic, 1 January 2017 to 23 February 2020.ResultsOne thousand twenty‐four (1024) children newly diagnosed with T1D in Kuwait during the study period were included. Among newly diagnosed children, 20.3% tested positive for thyroid antibodies during the COVID‐19 pandemic, compared with 14.5% during the pre‐pandemic period (p = 0.015). Children with positive COVID‐19 status were more likely to present with thyroid antibodies (p = 0.035). After adjusting for other characteristics, patients diagnosed with T1D during the COVID‐19 pandemic had double the odds of testing positive for thyroid antibodies (Adjusted odds ratio = 2.173, 95%CI: 1.108, 4.261, p = 0.024).ConclusionsIncident cases of T1D during the COVID‐19 pandemic may be different in aetiology or contextual factors leading to a higher risk of thyroid autoimmunity. Longitudinal studies are needed to understand the role of COVID‐19 in the onset and progression of T1D and on thyroid autoimmunity and disease.