Background: Since the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic, an increase in new diagnoses and pediatric hospital admission for anorexia nervosa (AN) or atypical AN in adolescents have been reported, suggesting an adverse effect of COVID-19 on youth mental health. We hypothesized possible differences in prevalence of hospitalization and/or disease severity, related to socio-economic status and/or ethnicity. Methods: Retrospectively, patients were divided into two subgroups and compared according to the date of first hospital admission: "pre SARS-COV2 era" group (n. 45, 8th March 2016-8th March 2020) and "SARS-COV2 era" group (n. 43, 9th March 2020-8th March 2022). Results: During the two years of the SARS-COV2 era, we reported an increase in hospital admission incidence more than doubled respect to the "pre-SARS-COV2 era". The "SARS-COV2 era group" showed a more rapid weight loss (p = 0.005), a minor duration of weight loss from lifetime maximum to admission (p = 0.019) and needed most frequently treatments with intravenous fluids (p < 0.0001), oral dietetic supplements (p < 0.001) and enteral nutrition by nasogastric tube (p = 0.002). The same group presented higher prevalence of psychiatric comorbidities (63% vs. 22%, p < 0.0001) and required most frequently treatments with psychotropic drugs (56% vs. 24%, p = 0.002). We found higher family socioeconomic status (SES) in our patients with AN in both the periods and we did not find a shift in social class distribution over time. Conclusions: Our study confirms a significant increase in incidence of hospitalization and of psychiatric comorbidity in the pediatric population with AN during the second year of COVID-19 pandemic, regardless of SES or ethnic background. Further studies are needed to understand potential mechanisms that during COVID-19 pandemic trigger eating disorder symptoms.

The aim of this systematic review was to report the evidence on optimal prandial timing of insulin bolus in youths with type 1 diabetes. A systematic search was performed including studies published in the last 20 years (2002–2022). A PICOS framework was used in the selection process and evidence was assessed using the GRADE system. Up to one third of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes injected rapid-acting insulin analogues after a meal. Moderate–high level quality studies showed that a pre-meal bolus compared with a bolus given at the start or after the meal was associated with a lower peak blood glucose after one to two hours, particularly after breakfast, as well as with reduced HbA1c, without any difference in the frequency of hypoglycemia. There were no differences related to the timing of bolus in total daily insulin and BMI, although these results were based on a single study. Data on individuals’ treatment satisfaction were limited but did not show any effect of timing of bolus on quality of life. In addition, post-prandial administration of fast-acting analogues was superior to rapid-acting analogues on post-prandial glycemia. There was no evidence for any difference in outcomes related to the timing of insulin bolus across age groups in the two studies. In conclusion, prandial insulin injected before a meal, particularly at breakfast, provides better post-prandial glycemia and HbA1c without increasing the risk of hypoglycemia, and without affecting total daily insulin dose and BMI. For young children who often have variable eating behaviors, fast-acting analogues administered at mealtime or post-meal could provide an additional advantage.

AimTo systematically assess the impact of commercially available hybrid closed loop (HCL) systems on psychological outcomes in youths with type 1 diabetes and their parents.MethodsWe performed a systematic review including studies published in the last 10 years. PICOS framework was used in the selection process, and evidence was assessed using the GRADE system.ResultsA total of 215 studies were identified after duplicate removal, and 31 studies were included in this systematic review: 20 on first‐generation HCL and 11 on second‐generation HCL systems. According to studies with moderate‐ to high‐level quality of evidence, HCL systems led to better, or in some studies, unchanged psychological outcomes such as distress and burden related to diabetes management, fear of hypoglycemia, quality of life, satisfaction; instead, quality of sleep was perceived as improved, although results were not confirmed in studies using actigraphy. From semi‐structured interviews, answers were more homogeneous, and participants reported a positive experience and attitude towards HCL technology, which was felt to be easy to use and apt to achieve glycemic targets.ConclusionsEvidence confirms the importance of evaluating the psychosocial needs of youths with diabetes and their families when starting HCL systems and during follow‐up, and to set realistic expectations of what can be achieved along with awareness of the limitations of the systems, and educate and motivate families to overcome barriers.

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