Sustained Improvement in Glycemic Control in Emerging Adults with Type 1 Diabetes 2 Years After the Start of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Introduction Although there were initial concerns that the public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic would adversely affect glycemic control in people with type 1 diabetes, several early continuous glucose monitor (CGM) studies reported an unexpected slight improvement in glucose metrics. Early emerging adulthood (roughly spanning the ages of 18–24 years) is often a vulnerable time in the life of a person with type 1 diabetes. Here, we set out to determine how the care and glucose management of emerging adults with type 1 diabetes changed over a period of approximately 2 years from the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods This was a retrospective study of a tertiary referral, multidisciplinary young adult diabetes clinic, spanning before and after the 777-day state of emergency in the City of Toronto. Results Of 130 emerging adults with type 1 diabetes (80 male, 50 female; mean age 21.0 ± 2.1 years), baseline pre-pandemic HbA 1c values were available for 120 individuals. During 24.9 ± 5.4 months of follow-up before and after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, HbA 1c fell from 8.5 ± 1.7% (69.3 ± 18.8 mmol/mol) to 8.1 ± 1.9% (65.2 ± 20.5 mmol/mol) ( P < 0.05), with change in HbA 1c from pre-lockdown levels being sustained throughout the second year of the pandemic. Over the same period, CGM use rose from 43% to 83%, primarily through increased uptake of intermittently scanned CGM, which is covered through the Ontario Drug Benefit program. Change in HbA 1c was most evident in Dexcom G6 real-time CGM users − 0.7 ± 1.2% (− 9.8 ± 17.1 mmol/mol) ( P < 0.01 vs. self-monitoring of blood glucose). Conclusion Among emerging adults with type 1 diabetes attending a multidisciplinary clinic in a high-income country, glycated hemoglobin levels are on average 0.4% (4.1 mmol/mol) lower than they were before the pandemic. This reduction in HbA 1c is unlikely to be a consequence of early strict lockdowns given the length of time of follow-up. Rather, improved glycemic control coincided with increased utilization of wearable diabetes devices.

A systematic bibliometric analysis on the clinical practice of CGM in diabetes mellitus from 2012 to 2022

“…Evidently, Roy W. Beck sustains a conspicuously high echelon of scientific impact within this research sphere ( 14 ). Remarkably, it is salient that seven studies associated with him have ascended to constitute the upper echelon of the ten most frequently cited articles within this field ( 15 – 21 ).…”