Impact of a COVID-19 emergency declaration on blood glucose levels in individuals with type 1 diabetes treated with a sensor-augmented pump.

INTRODUCTION

COVID-19 emergency declarations and ensuing lockdowns affected lifestyle and glycemic control in individuals with diabetes mellitus, with some studies finding improvement and others deterioration of glucose management. The effects of such emergency declarations in Asian populations, including individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1D) managed with a sensor-augmented pump (SAP), have been unclear, however. We here investigated the impact of a COVID-19 emergency declaration on glycemic control in Japanese individuals with T1D treated with a SAP device.

METHODS

This retrospective investigation included individuals with T1D who were managed with SAP technology and had continuous glucose monitoring including sensor glucose levels and time above range, time in range [TIR], and time below range and insulin dose data available in electronic health records from February to July 2020, corresponding to periods before, during, and after the declared emergency.

RESULTS

The 78 enrolled individuals had a mean age of 44.6 years, diabetes duration of 15.4 years, and hemoglobin A level of 7.3%. Average sensor glucose levels improved from 152.0 mg/dL before to 148.0 mg/dL during and 147.6 mg/dL after the emergency. TIR increased from 68.8% before to 71.3% during and 71.4% after the emergency. Total daily insulin dose decreased from 40.9 U before to 39.6 U after the emergency. After the emergency declaration, individuals with an initial TIR of ≤ 70% showed increased sensor adherence as well as a greater improvement in glycemic control compared with those with a TIR of > 70%.

CONCLUSION

Individuals with T1D treated with a SAP device showed improved glycemic management after the COVID-19 emergency declaration.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13340-025-00802-4.