Stay-at-home orders during the covid-19 pandemic, an opportunity to improve glucose control through behavioral changes in type 1 diabetes

Abstract

OBJECTIVE To investigate the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 lockdown on glycemic control and associated factors in people living with type 1 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS An observational evaluation from a self-reported questionnaire on behavioral changes and glycemic information from flash glucose monitoring (FGM) during the lockdown in 1,378 individuals living with type 1 diabetes who used a French dedicated nationwide web application (CoviDIAB). RESULTS The main outcome was the change of the mean glucose level 2 months before and 1 month after the lockdown. We found that mean glucose improved from 9.1 6 1.7 mmol/L to 8.7 6 1.7 mmol/L (P < 0.001). Factors associated with better glycemic control were a decrease of alcohol consumption (odds ratio [OR] 1.75 [95% CI 1.04– 2.94]), an increase in the frequency of FGM scans (OR 1.48 [1.04–2.10]) and in the number of hypoglycemia events (OR 1.67 [1.13–2.46]), and an easier diabetes control perception (OR 1.71 [1.18–2.49]). CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that lockdown has a positive impact on glycemic control in people with type 1 diabetes.