Behaviors and conditions known to persist into adulthood and result in morbidity and premature mortality are prevalent among adolescents in Saudi Arabia. Preventive measures and local health policies are urgently needed and can impact adolescents and future adults. Establishing adolescent health surveillance is necessary to monitor trends and impacts of such measures.

BackgroundOverburdened healthcare systems during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic led to suboptimal chronic disease management, including that of pediatric type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). The pandemic also caused delayed detection of new-onset diabetes in children; this increased the risk and severity of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). We therefore investigated the frequency of new-onset pediatric T1DM and DKA in Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic and compared it to the same period in 2019.MethodsWe conducted a multicenter retrospective cohort study, including patients aged 1–14 years admitted with new-onset T1DM or DKA during the COVID-19 pandemic (March–June 2020) and the same period in 2019. We assessed factors including age, sex, anthropometric measures, nationality, duration of diabetes, diabetes management, HbA1c levels, glycemic control, cause of admission, blood gas levels, etiology of DKA, DKA complications, length of hospital stay, and COVID-19 test status.ResultDuring the lockdown, 106 children, compared with 154 in 2019, were admitted to 6 pediatric diabetes centers. Among the admissions, DKA was higher in 2020 than in 2019 (83% vs. 73%; P=0.05; risk ratio=1.15; 95% confidence interval, 1.04–1.26), after adjusting for age and sex. DKA frequency among new-onset T1DM and HbA1c levels at diagnosis were higher in 2020 than in 2019 (26% vs. 13.4% [P=<0.001] and 12.1 ± 0.2 vs. 10.8 ± 0.25 [P<0.001], respectively). Females and older patients had a higher risk of DKA.ConclusionThe lockdown implemented in Saudi Arabia has significantly impacted children with T1DM and led to an increased DKA frequency, including children with new-onset T1DM, potentially owing to delayed presentation.

Neonatal Graves' disease is a rare disorder seen in 1 in 25,000 births and in 1% of the offspring of mothers with either established or cured Graves' disease. This is due to transplacental passage of thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulins (TSIs). A higher TSI titre in maternal serum makes hyperthyroidism more likely in the fetus or newborn; however, not all fetuses born by women with positive TSIs develop overt hyperthyroidism. In spite of its rarity, its serious nature (if not treated) and its association with multisystem abnormalities justifies careful clinical screening and management. We report a preterm 30 weeks neonate with neonatal thyrotoxicosis secondary to untreated maternal Graves' disease who, in addition to the typical hyperthyroidism symptoms, had unusual metabolic associations of neonatal cholestasis and hyperammonaemia. The patient was treated accordingly with a good response. This report supports previous reports on the association between neonatal hyperthyroidism and cholestatic liver disease. However, it is the second case report to describe the unusual association of hyperammonaemia and neonatal Graves' disease.