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. 2020 Aug:166:108304.
doi: 10.1016/j.diabres.2020.108304. Epub 2020 Jul 3.

The impact of COVID-19 on people with diabetes in Brazil

Mark Thomaz Ugliara Barone  1 , Simone Bega Harnik  2 , Patrícia Vieira de Luca  3 , Bruna Letícia de Souza Lima  4 , Ronaldo José Pineda Wieselberg  5 , Belinda Ngongo  6 , Hermelinda Cordeiro Pedrosa  7 , Augusto Pimazoni-Netto  8 , Denise Reis Franco  9 , Maria de Fatima Marinho de Souza  10 , Deborah Carvalho Malta  11 , Viviana Giampaoli  2
Affiliations

The impact of COVID-19 on people with diabetes in Brazil

Mark Thomaz Ugliara Barone et al. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2020 Aug.

Abstract

The present study aims at identifying main barriers faced by people living with diabetes in Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: In a convenience sampling study, data were collected from 1701 individuals, aged 18 or above; 75.54% female participants; 60.73% T1D and 30.75% T2D, between April 22nd and May 4th, using an anonymous and untraceable survey containing 20 multiple choice questions (socio-demographic; health status and habits of life during COVID-19 pandemic). Relationship between variables was established using the multiple correspondence analysis technique.

Results: 95.1% of respondents reduced their frequency of going outside of their homes; among those who monitored blood glucose at home during the pandemic (91.5%), the majority (59.4%) experienced an increase, a decrease or a higher variability in glucose levels; 38.4% postponed their medical appointments and/or routine examinations; and 59.5% reduced their physical activity. T1D, the youngest group, was more susceptible to presenting COVID-19 symptoms despite not being testing; whilst the T2D group had higher frequency of comorbidities that are additional risk factors for COVID-19 severity.

Conclusions: This study provides a first hand revelation of the severity of COVID-19 on individuals with diabetes in Brazil. Their habits were altered, which impacted their glycemia, potentially increasing the risk of poor outcomes and mortality if infected by SARS-CoV-2, and of acute and chronic diabetes complications.

Keywords: Brazil; COVID-19; Coronavirus; Diabetes; Pandemic; SARS-CoV-2.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
MCA for prevalence of cardiovascular diseases, obesity, mental disorders, respiratory diseases, type of diabetes, age (the horizontal axis is a progression of ages of the respondents), symptoms of COVID-19, health system, symptoms (supplementary), and glycemic measurements (supplementary).
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
MCA for glycemya, food consumption, physical activities, and type of diabetes (supplementary).
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
MCA for glycemic measures, method for buying/receiving medicine, health system, and type of diabetes (supplementary).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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