Effect of Lockdown on Diabetes Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Result of a Telephone-Based Survey Among Patients Attending a Diabetic Clinic in Northern India.

Madhur Verma,Priyanka Sharma,Meenakshi Sharma,Sanjay Kalra,Atul Chaudhari

doi:10.7759/cureus.18489

Abstract

BackgroundThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has aggravated the demand for diabetes care due to restrictive measures like the lockdown affecting access to healthcare services. The current study was conducted to assess the changes in medication compliance, dietary pattern, and glucose monitoring during the lockdown period as compared to the pre-lockdown period among patients living with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) attending a diabetes clinic in northern India.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted between May and July 2020. Information regarding the sociodemographic and clinical profiles of the patients like age, sex, income, qualification, family history of diabetes, history of smoking and alcohol, type of treatment, co-morbidities, drug adherence for T2DM, changes in the pattern of diet, physical activity, blood glucose monitoring, and drug usage during and before the lockdown was collected through telephonic interviews using a structured tool. Descriptive analysis was performed, and the chi-square and Wilcoxon sign ranks tests were used to see the association between variables.ResultsA total of 260 patients were enrolled in the study. A higher proportion of males reported a decrease in the consumption of cereals (13.9%), eggs (56.5%), and meat and fish (92.7%) and an increase in water intake (25.8%) while a higher proportion of females reported no change in physical activity levels (77.2%) during the lockdown against pre-COVID times. There was a significant improvement in medication adherence and glycemic control during the lockdown period as compared to the pre-lockdown times.ConclusionMore time for self-care, adequate counseling about glycemic goals, and knowledge of self-monitoring of blood glucose levels helped the majority of patients in adopting a healthy lifestyle and achieve better glycemic control during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Highlights

422 million people are living with diabetes around the world, with a majority of them belonging to low and middle-income countries [1]
There was a significant improvement in medication adherence and glycemic control during the lockdown period as compared to the pre-lockdown times
Our study disapproved our initial hypothesis that lockdown could have jeopardized the management of chronic diseases like diabetes

Summary

Introduction

422 million people are living with diabetes around the world, with a majority of them belonging to low and middle-income countries [1]. Diabetes is considered to be one of the most psychologically and behaviorally demanding chronic diseases It requires strict lifestyle and dietary modifications, with frequent self-monitoring of blood glucose and adherence to the prescribed medications [4]. This demand was further aggravated during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic while it has caused significant morbidity and mortality around the world. India is amongst the worst-hit countries in terms of the number of COVID-19 cases [5]. It has overwhelmed the existing health system, and most of the resources have been diverted towards pandemic mitigation. The current study was conducted to assess the changes in medication compliance, dietary pattern, and glucose monitoring during the lockdown period as compared to the pre-lockdown period among patients living with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) attending a diabetes clinic in northern India

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion