Frequency, Clinical Characteristics and Predictors of Ketoacidosis at Diagnosis of Type One Diabetes Mellitus in Children and Adolescents from Jordan

Objective: Data regarding diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) at diagnosis of type one diabetes (T1D) in developing countries are scarce. The aim of this study was to describe the frequency of DKA at the onset of T1D in children and adolescents in Jordan and to compare the clinical and biochemical characteristics between the group that presented with DKA and the group that did not. Methods: The records of 341 children and adolescents, less than sixteen years of age, who were diagnosed with T1D between 2015 and 2019 were evaluated retrospectively. Results: Of all the children diagnosed with T1D, 108 (31.7%) presented with DKA. The majority had mild or moderate DKA (38% and 33.3% respectively). Higher paternal education levels were associated with a lower probability of presenting with DKA (p=0.043). A family history of T1D had a protective effect on the occurrence of DKA (Odds ratio=2.138; 95% confidence interval=1.167-3.917, p=0.014). Patients with celiac disease and higher HbA1c levels were more likely to experience recurrent episodes of DKA, (p=0.004 and 0.011, respectively). Conclusion: In Jordan, the rate of DKA at presentation of T1D remains high. Prevention campaigns are needed to increase diabetes awareness among the public and healthcare providers.

Secondary Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis in a Neonate with SARS-CoV-2 Infection.

BACKGROUND Infants born to mothers with Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) are susceptible to infection, either vertically or horizontally. The mechanism is not completely understood. Regardless, it is rare that an infant with COVID-19 suffers from serious, life-threatening complications. We speculate that one of these complications can be hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), a dysregulated hyperinflammatory response that leads to multi-organ failure. CASE REPORT We describe a case of a female newborn, born to a SARS-CoV-2-positive mother via cesarean section delivery at 35 weeks of gestation, that tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 on the first day after birth. The patient presented with progressive respiratory distress, intermittent fever, splenomegaly, and cytopenia. Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) work-up was done, which showed hyperferritinemia, hypofibrinogenemia, and hypertriglyceridemia. Bone marrow aspirate showed hemophagocytic activity of both red blood cells and platelets. We suspect that the virus triggered HLH, which led to the patient's death at 51 days of age due to severe respiratory failure. CONCLUSIONS Infants and children suffer from milder symptoms than adults when infected with SARS-CoV-2, for reasons not well understood, although multiple hypotheses have been proposed, which are discussed in this paper. However, there is a possibility that the severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus can cause HLH and multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C).