Short-term Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown on Metabolic Control of Type 2 Diabetes

Determining the Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown on Metabolic Control in Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes

The strict rules applied in Italy during the recent COVID-19 pandemic, with the prohibition to attend any regular outdoor activity, are likely to influence the degree of metabolic control of patients with type 2 diabetes. The aim of this observational, prospective, single centre study was to evaluate the immediate impact of the lockdown rules on the metabolic profile of a cohort of patients with type 2 diabetes.

All the patients with type 2 diabetes who were previously scheduled for a follow-up visit in our outpatient diabetes clinic during the lockdown for COVID-19 (March 9, 2020-May 04, 2020) were contacted by phone. Patients who accepted to take part of the study received a medical prescription for routine analysis via email. They were asked to perform blood drawing one week after the end of the lockdown period and transmitted us the results.

We then compared the metabolic profile tested one week after the end of the lockdown with the last value and the mean of the last three determinations performed before the pandemic emergency.

Inclusion Criteria:

• type 2 diabetes
• at least two previous clinical records in the last two years

Exclusion Criteria:

• age >85 years
• first access to the outpatient clinic
• type 1 diabetes