Impact of COVID-19 lockdown on glycemic control in patients with type 1 diabetes

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has forced governments to take exceptional measures to minimize its spread, imposing lockdown policies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of lockdown on type 1 diabetes (T1D) glycemic control. Material and methods: People with T1D using flash glucose monitoring were included. Data from the 14 days before lockdown were compared with data from the last 14 days after 8 weeks of lockdown. Results: A total of 307 patients were included (age 45.8 +/- 12.6 years, 50.2% male, diabetes duration 21.1 +/- 12.3 years). Only one patient had COVID-19 infection. Mean glucose decreased from 166.89 +/- 29.4 to 158.0 +/- 29.0 mg/dL and estimated HbA1c declined from 7.4 +/- 1.0 to 7.1 +/- 1.0% (54 +/- 10.9 vs 57 +/- 10.9 mmol/mol; p 0.001). Time in range increased from 57.8 +/- 15.8 to 62.46 +/- 16.1%. Time in hyperglycemia 180 mg/dL and >250 mg/dL decreased from 37.3 +/- 1.9% to 32.0 +/- 17.1% and from 13.0 +/- 11.3 to 10.3 +/- 10.6%, respectively; (p < 0.001). Time in hypoglycaemia <70 mg/dL increased from 4.9 +/- 4.0% to 5.5 +/- 4.4% (p < 0.001). No differences in time <54 mg/dl, coefficient of variation (CV%) or number of scans per day were found. Conclusion: Despite the limitations of lockdown, glycemic control improved in patients with T1D. These results suggest that having more time for self-management may help improve glycemic control in the short term. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.