Abstract
Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the psychosocial health, to identify coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) specific concerns in people with diabetes and to analyze the changes in the management of diabetes during the corona crisis. Methods: An online cross-sectional survey was conducted for a period of 6 months among the South Indian diabetes population. A validated questionnaire containing socio-demographics, general health status, the diabetes distress scale 17, and the 3-itemUCLA loneliness scale was sent to 600 people, out of which 226 participants were included in the study based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Responses were analyzed using univariate and multivariate logistic regressions. Results: Among the participants, females had moderate to high diabetes distress (54.4%). The subjects in the age group of 40–59 years felt lonely and had more diabetes distress. The two major worries among the participants were that “they are labeled as a risk group” and that “they might be overly affected.” Participants with gestational diabetes mellitus (DM), DM duration of 7 months to 1 year, taking both medications (oral antidiabetic medication and insulin), HbA1c level of more than 8%, infected with coronavirus or having someone close to them infected with coronavirus, were more concerned about taking medication daily, and those who changed their meal plan during the corona period had the greatest concerns. Conclusion: People who participated in the survey were more worried about the COVID-19 situation and were very disturbed. Psychosocial consequences of COVID-19 were more prevalent in diabetes patients, including diabetes distress, loneliness, and changes in daily diabetes management.
Highlights
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a viral contagious disease
General health status of study participants Among 226 participants, 58 (25.7%) had Type I diabetes mellitus (DM), 156 (69.0%) had Type II DM, and 12 (5.3%) participants had gestational DM. 34 (15.0%) were found to have had diabetes for more than 20 years, 41 (18.1%) of the participants had diabetes for 11–20 years, 107 (47.3%) of the participants were diabetic for 2–10 years, 37 (16.4%) of the participants were diabetic for 7 months–1 year, and 7 (3.1%) of the participants were diabetic for 0–6 months
COVID-19 specific diabetes worries The most seen worries among the participants were “That people with DM are labeled as risk group,” “Due to my DM, I might be overly affected if infected with COVID-19” and “That I may not be able to manage my DM if I am infected with COVID-19” (Fig. 1)
Summary
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a viral contagious disease. It is a single-stranded, enveloped RNA virus and it is named after its crownlike surface projections, which are seen in electron microscopy [1]. People aged 60 years and above and people with underlying medical problems such as high blood pressure, heart and lung problems, diabetes, obesity, or cancer are at a higher risk of developing severe illness [4]
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