Opara Chinemerem, White Annesha, Fulda Kimberly G, Blair Somer, Aduwari Clare, Nukala Nihitha, Xiao Yan
College of Pharmacy, University of North Texas Health Science Center, 3500 Camp Bowie Blvd, Fort Worth, TX 76107, USA.
Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, University of North Texas Health Science Center, 3500 Camp Bowie Blvd, Fort Worth, TX 76107, USA.
Pharmacy (Basel). 2025 Jul 4;13(4):93. doi: 10.3390/pharmacy13040093.
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted routine care for individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), raising concerns about its impact on glycemic control and medication management. This study evaluated the relationship between insulin use and glycemic control among T2DM patients during the pandemic. A retrospective analysis was conducted using deidentified clinical and prescription data from two family medicine clinics, comparing data from the pre-COVID-19 period (1 March 2019-13 March 2020) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (14 March 2020-31 March 2021). Patients included had at least two A1c values before the COVID and one during the COVID. A1c control was defined as less than 8%. Among 992 patients, 238 experienced a change in A1c status: 128 improved and 110 worsened. Mean A1c remained stable at 8.2 across both periods. A majority of patients who improved were using insulin during the COVID-19 era, although some discontinued insulin at some point during the study period. These findings suggest that consistent insulin therapy may have helped maintain glycemic control despite healthcare disruptions. This study highlights the importance of sustained medication management and suggests that integrating telehealth and pharmacist-led care could support diabetes control during future healthcare system challenges.
新冠疫情扰乱了2型糖尿病（T2DM）患者的常规护理，引发了人们对其对血糖控制和药物管理影响的担忧。本研究评估了疫情期间T2DM患者胰岛素使用与血糖控制之间的关系。利用两家家庭医学诊所的匿名临床和处方数据进行回顾性分析，比较了新冠疫情前时期（2019年3月1日至2020年3月13日）和新冠疫情期间（2020年3月14日至2021年3月31日）的数据。纳入的患者在新冠疫情前至少有两个糖化血红蛋白（A1c）值，在疫情期间有一个A1c值。A1c控制定义为低于8%。在992名患者中，238名患者的A1c状态发生了变化：128名患者有所改善，110名患者恶化。两个时期的平均A1c均稳定在8.2。大多数病情改善的患者在新冠疫情期间使用胰岛素，尽管有些患者在研究期间的某个时间点停用了胰岛素。这些发现表明，尽管医疗保健受到干扰，但持续的胰岛素治疗可能有助于维持血糖控制。本研究强调了持续药物管理的重要性，并表明整合远程医疗和药剂师主导的护理可以在未来医疗系统面临挑战时支持糖尿病控制。
