Diabetic Ketoacidosis After COVID-19 Vaccine in Patients with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine is one of the few vaccines that obtained emergency authorization to combat the fatal pandemic. Despite the fact that some available literature addressed its short-term side effects, there are still limitations on its effects on type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM).

The aim of the present study was to assess the association between COVID-19 vaccination and diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) among individuals with T1DM. Additionally, the study aimed to determine the effects of the vaccine on glucose control, variability, and risk of hypoglycemia.

This retrospective study was conducted at King Fahad Specialist Hospital (KFSH) in Qassim Region, Saudi Arabia. Diabetic ketoacidosis cases admitted to the hospital within February 2020 and August 2022 were included in the study based on specific inclusion criteria. Finally, a total of 49 patients were included in statistical analyses.

Out of the 62 patients admitted to the hospital, 49 met the diagnostic criteria for DKA and agreed to participate in the study. The majority of the remaining patients (n = 13) refused to participate, and only a few of them lacked complete documentation. Of the 49 patients who were included in the study, 46 cases had a history of T1DM; nevertheless, 3 patients were newly diagnosed with T1DM. Additionally, among these participants, 16 (32.7%), 19 (38.8%), and 14 (28.6%) patients had mild, moderate, and severe DKA, respectively. There were 27 male (55.1%) and 22 female (44.9%) patients. About 91% of the patients were vaccinated against COVID-19, 30.6% of whom were vaccinated within 29 days of being diagnosed with DKA. The pH and bicarbonate levels were observed to be significantly high among those who were diagnosed with DKA within 29 days of vaccination, with p-values of 0.031 and 0.037, respectively. Similarly, pH and random blood sugar (RBS) were observed to be significantly higher among the vaccinated patients than in the non-vaccinated subjects (P = 0.044 and P = 0.032, respectively).

The study findings revealed that some of the DKA indicators were evident among the vaccinated patients. However, larger-scale and multi-center studies are recommended in order to have more conclusive evidence and generalize the findings.