Paediatric critical care referrals of children with diabetic ketoacidosis during the COVID-19 pandemic
Emre Basatemür, Andrew Jones, Mark Peters, Padmanabhan Ramnarayan
Abstract
Child health practitioners in the UK and internationally have voiced concerns that restrictions and measures introduced to combat the COVID-19 pandemic may be causing unintended adverse consequences for the health and social well-being of children. Initial reports suggested a significant reduction in the utilisation of healthcare services by children during the pandemic, raising concerns about late presentation of children with serious illness.1 In a national survey of UK paediatricians, 32% of clinicians reported having witnessed delayed presentations to emergency care over a 2-week period in April 2020.2 The most frequently reported delayed presentation was new diagnosis of diabetes mellitus. Analysis of children newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in Germany identified that between March and April 2020, a significantly greater proportion of cases presented with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) (45%) when compared with corresponding periods over the previous 2 years (24%).3 Here, we report the frequency of referral of children with DKA to a regional paediatric critical care advice and transport service in the …