The burden of type 2 diabetes pre-and during the COVID-19 pandemic – a review

Abstract

Introduction Diabetes Mellitus is a chronic disease and a global epidemic. It is a known fact that co-morbidities, including Diabetes Mellitus, pose a higher risk of infection by COVID-19. Additionally, the outcomes following infection are far worse than in people without such co-morbities. Factors contributing to the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have long been established, yet this disease still bestows a substantial global burden. The aim was to provide a comprehensive review of the burden of diabetes pre-COVID-19 and the additional impact sustained by the diabetes population and healthcare systems during the COVID-19 pandemic, while providing recommendations of how this burden can be subsided. Methodology Literature searches were carried out on ‘Google Scholar’ and ‘PubMed’ to identify relevant articles for the scope of this review. Information was also collected from reliable sources such as the World Health Organisation and the International Diabetes Federation. Results T2DM presented with economic, social and health burdens prior to COVID-19 with an significant ‘Disability Adjusted Life Years’ impact. Whilst people with diabetes are more susceptible to COVID-19, enforcing lockdown regulations set by the Public Health department to reduce risk of infection brought about its own challenges to T2DM management. Through recommendations and adapting to new methods of management such as telehealth, these challenges and potential consequences of mismanagement are kept to a minimum whilst safeguarding the healthcare system. Conclusion By understanding the challenges and burdens faced by this population both evident pre-covid and during, targeted healthcare can be provided during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, implementation of targeted action plans and recommendations ensures the care provided is done in a safe and effective environment. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s40200-020-00656-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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“…Second, Scriberras et al assumed that the COVID-19 lockdown would lead to weight gain and poorer metabolic control and would be a challenge for persons with type 2 diabetes [26]. In particular, the authors assumed that persons with diabetes would had fewer opportunities to exercise due to closing of gyms and parks and due to recommendations not to leave homes unnecessarily, would have limited access to healthy food (fresh fruit and vegetables), and would consume more packaged and fast food.…”

Instrument for Assessing Patients’ Desirability, Acceptability, and Adherence to Telemedicine in Diabetes: Development, Validity, and Reliability

“…8 Considering the predictions for an increased incidence of diabetes over the next 25 years, in parallel with the limited resources available for diabetes care, designing telemedicine systems to augment the care of diabetes may be an appropriate solution in order to provide adequate high-quality diabetes care. [9][10][11] The instrument developed in this project is a valid tool in assessing the patients' acceptability, desirability, and adherence to telemedicine systems in diabetes care, providing reliable, consistent and reproducible data to the user. Furthermore, this instrument allows the provider to identify patients' particular preferences regarding telemedicine use based on socio-economic, demographic, disease history or occupational characteristics, thus opening the door for the development of targeted platforms for specific patient populations.…”

Advanced Blood Sugar Examination for Elderly Groups at the Citra Lestari Midwife Practice, Bojonggede District, Bogor Regency

“…Pembatasan aktifitas fisik selama pandemi Covid-19 ini berpotensi meningkatkan risiko Prediabetes/Diabetes. Penelitian baru-baru ini menunjukkan bahwa pembatasan kegiatan selama pandemi Covid-19 meningkatkan berbagai kebiasaan negatif seperti berkurangnya aktifitas fisik, meningkatnya perilaku sedentari (banyak duduk, berbaring, bersantai), meningkatnya pola konsumsi makanan tidak sehat sehingga berakibat peningkatan berat badan, juga kekurangan vitamin D (Marçal et al, 2020;Sciberras et al, 2020). Semua hal tersebut merupakan faktor risiko terjadinya Prediabetes/ Diabetes, tidak terkecuali pada kelompok lansia.…”