Covid-19: Children with adrenal insufficiency at 10 times higher risk for complications

Children with adrenal insufficiency are at over 10 times higher risk for Covid-19 complications and death compared with children with normal adrenal glands, as per the study presented at the Endocrine Society's annual meeting.

Adrenal insufficiency is a condition in which the adrenal gland does not function properly. It is a disorder that occurs when the adrenal glands, located just above the kidneys, do not make enough of the hormone cortisol. It also controls blood pressure and affects the immune system.

Children with adrenal insufficiency are treated with daily cortisol replacement therapy. They need increased doses when they are sick.

"Adrenal insufficiency may put a person at higher risk of infections due to a lack of normal stress response by the body. Until now, there has been limited data on children with adrenal insufficiency and Covid-19," said lead researcher Manish Rasingani, MD, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and Arkansas Children's in Little Rock, Ark.

For the study, the researchers examined data from an international database on children up to age 18 who had Covid-19.

The study included 846 children with adrenal insufficiency and over 2,50,000 without the adrenal disease.

The findings, published in the journal Endocrine Society, suggested that the mortality rate was much higher among children who had adrenal insufficiency, compared to children who did not have the condition.

"This study shows it is important to take extra precautions to prevent and treat Covid-19 infection in children with adrenal insufficiency," Raisingani said.

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