Year-Long Trend in Glycated Hemoglobin Levels in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes during the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Author:
Jonghwa JIN
1
;
Seong Wook LEE
;
Won-Ki LEE
;
Jae-Han JEON
;
Jung-Guk KIM
;
In-Kyu LEE
;
Yeon-Kyung CHOI
;
Keun-Gyu PARK
Author Information
- Publication Type:Brief Report
- From:Endocrinology and Metabolism 2021;36(5):1142-1146
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
- Abstract: It has been suggested that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a negative impact on glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, no study has examined yearly trends in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels after the start of the COVID-19 outbreak. Here, we performed a retrospective analysis of HbA1c concentrations during the early period of the COVID-19 outbreak (COVID-19 cohort) and then compared the yearly trend in the mean HbA1c level, along with fluctuations in HbA1c levels, with those during previous years (non-COVID-19 cohorts). We observed that the mean HbA1c level in patients with T2DM increased during the first 6 months of the COVID-19 outbreak. After 6 months, HbA1c levels in the COVID-19 cohort returned to levels seen in the non-COVID-19 cohorts. The data suggest that vulnerable patients with T2DM should be monitored closely during the early period of a pandemic to ensure they receive appropriate care.
