Glycemic control in Children with Type 1 Diabetes During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Background: Since March 2020, health systems around the world shifted to virtual care approaches as social distancing measures were recommended to stem the spread of SARS-COV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. For children and families living with type 1 diabetes, virtual consultations in pediatric diabetes care were rare prior to the pandemic but became the norm since the start of the pandemic. Data regarding glycemic outcomes and comorbidities in children living with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) during the pandemic are limited, and there is a need for these data to drive future care models design and delivery. Aim & Methods: The aim of this project was to assess the association of the COVID-19 pandemic with measures of glycemic control (HbA1c), hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and hospitalization for the period spanning March 2020-2021 at McMaster Children’s Hospital, a tertiary pediatric academic center in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Data from the onset of virtual care were compared with data from two years pre-pandemic. Results: The COVID-19 pandemic was not associated with changes in HbA1c (MD -0.14, p=0.058), hospitalization (OR 0.57, p=0.068), or hypoglycemia (OR 1.11, p=0.484), but was significantly associated with the increase in reported hyperglycemia (OR 1.38, p=0.003) and reduction in DKA presentation (OR 0.30, p=0.009). Conclusions: Glycemic control was stable during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, when virtual and hybrid care models prevailed in diabetes care. These results suggest that patients and their families were able to adapt to the uncertain circumstances of the pandemic. Virtual consultations for pediatric diabetes did not hinder glycemic control, and likely aided in the maintenance of diabetes management. Longitudinal studies are necessary before virtual consultations should be recommended to replace in-person clinic visits, but the initial data seem encouraging.