Glycaemia during Covid-19: A Primary care perspective.

Background & Aims: Patients with diabetes fare poorly when infected with COVID-19 but there is a paucity of data about how COVID-19 infection impacts glycaemic control in the general population. This study aimed to assess the change in glycaemia in patients in relation to COVID-19 symptoms during the pandemic.

Materials and Method: This was a retrospective study of 226 patients with Diabetes and Non-Diabetic Hyperglycaemia (NDH) from a single urban General Practice in the UK. An audit of those patients who had undergone measurement of HbA1c both pre-pandemic and peri-pandemic and any change in HbA1c was recorded followed by a telephone survey for any COVID-19 symptoms during the previous 12 months was undertaken.

Results: 117 patients had diabetes and 109 patients had NDH. 45.3% of patients with diabetes included in the study were shown to have a significant change in HbA1c over the course of the pandemic. 13.7% of patients with diabetes were found to have COVID-19 symptoms according to the King’s College criteria. 3.6% of patients with NDH were found to have a significant change in HbA1c. 23.9% of patients with NDH were found to have COVID symptoms. Genders including age, gender, ethnicity, pre-pandemic HbA1c, and Townsend’s social deprivation score were adjusted for but no single deterministic factor for the change in HbA1c was observed.

Conclusion: There was a significant change in glycaemia in a group of patients with diabetes and in a small minority of patients with NDH, but no relationship with King’s College symptoms was seen. In this study, the overall numbers were small and derived from a single practice so a larger study would help us to understand the factors influencing glycaemia better.