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.