Blood Sugar Levels Improved in Type 1 Diabetes Patients Who Stopped Working During Lockdown

Type 1 diabetes patients who stopped working during the COVID-19 lockdown have improved blood sugar levels during the first week of lockdown despite reduced exercise opportunities and heightened stress, finds a new study.

Improved blood sugar levels were seen in people with type 1 diabetes who stopped working in the COVID-19 lockdown, despite having reduced opportunities for exercise and heightened psychological stress, reports a new study. The findings of the study are presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD).

Dr. Federico Boscari and colleagues undertook the study at the Department of Medicine, University of Padova, Italy.

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Despite the psychological stress and minimal opportunities for exercise, glucose control was significantly improved in patients with type 1 diabetes who did not work during the first week of the COVID-19-induced lockdown.
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During the lockdown, outpatient clinics were closed, while hospitals dealt with thousands of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. As a result, the combination of the virus and the measures imposed to control it caused morbidity and death among infected patients and imposed a heavy burden on public health. The impact of this is expected to be highest among people with chronic diseases like diabetes, due to outpatient clinics and services being closed altogether.

Flash glucose monitoring (FGM) devices, widely used by T1D patients, has allowed healthcare professionals (HCPs) to maintain communication with their patients throughout the lockdown by giving real-time blood glucose level data to the clinic.

The research team used data from individuals with T1D for the study. Patients were divided into two groups based on whether they stopped working during the lockdown or continued to work due to being classed as an essential worker. The latter served as the control group.

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The authors say: "In the 20 patients who stopped working, overall glycaemic control improved during the first seven days of lockdown as compared to the weeks before SARS-CoV-2 spread."

In contrast, the patients who continued working during lockdown exhibited no improvement or deterioration in any of the glycemic control measures compared to before lockdown.

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The researchers think that the improvement in patients who stopped working occurred due to them having more time to focus on diabetes control and a more regular lifestyle, including meals' timing and composition. They also recommend: "In addition, the knowledge that diabetes worsens the COVID-19 outcomes may have improved patients' awareness and compliance to diabetes management."

However, the long-term effects of COVID lockdown and the factors that influence glucose control in this distinct situation deserve future investigation, the authors conclude.