Reduction of hypoglycaemia, lifestyle modifications and psychological distress during lockdown following SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in type 1 diabetes

Aims To assess changes in glucose metrics and their association with psychological distress and lifestyle changes in patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) using flash glucose monitoring (FGM) during lockdown following severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 outbreak. Materials and methods Single-centre, observational, retrospective study enrolling T1D patients who attended a remote visit on April 2020 at the Endocrinology division of the University Hospital Policlinico Consorziale, Bari, Italy. Lockdown-related changes in physical activity level and dietary habits were assessed on a semi-quantitative basis. Changes in general well-being were assessed by the General Health Questionnaire-12 items with a binary scoring system. Glucose metrics were obtained from the Libreview platform for the first 2 weeks of February 2020 (T0) and the last 2 weeks before the phone visit (T1). Results Out of 84 patients assessed for eligibility, 48 had sufficient FGM data to be included in the analysis. FGM data analysis revealed significant reductions in coefficient of variation, number of hypoglycaemic events, and time below range, while no changes were found in time in range, time above range, mean sensor glucose, and glucose management indicator. Moreover, the frequency of sweets consumption was inversely related to the occurrence of hypoglycaemic events during lockdown. Conclusions Lockdown-related lifestyle changes, albeit unhealthy, may lead to reduction in FGM-derived measures of hypoglycaemia and glycaemic variability in patients with T1D.

Automated summary

A study conducted in the Endocrinology division of the University Hospital Policlinico Consorziale in Bari, Italy, found that changes in diet during lockdown were associated with occurrences of hypoglycaemia.