Alarming Rise of Non-COVID Deaths Among Diabetics Amid Pandemic

The COVID pandemic saw a rise in non-COVID-related hospital admissions and deaths among diabetic individuals, with women and children experiencing heightened complications, according to a global study review published in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated disruptions in health-care provision on clinical outcomes in people with diabetes: a systematic review

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Pandemic's Toll on Diabetes: Higher Mortality in Women & Children

The review, commissioned by the World Health Organization (WHO) looked at 138 studies comparing pre-pandemic to during pandemic periods in North America (39), Western Europe (39), Asia (17), Eastern Europe (14), South America (four), Egypt (one), Australia (one) and multiple regions (33). “What we found overall was a fairly negative impact on diabetes outcomes,” said co-lead author Jamie Hartmann-Boyce, Assistant Professor of health policy and promotion at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst’s School of Public Health and Health Sciences. The review also found a startling increase in diabetes-related admissions to pediatric ICUs, as well as a rise in cases of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) among children and adolescents.

Some of the cases were due to new-onset diabetes, meaning DKA -- a serious, potentially life-threatening complication of diabetes -- coincided with the diabetes diagnosis. There was no rise in the frequency or severity of DKA among adults. In addition to an increase in deaths, “the data on pediatric ICU admissions and pediatric diabetes ketoacidosis is probably the most striking thing that comes out of this review,” Hartmann-Boyce said.

“It was very consistent across countries, and a pediatric ICU admission is a major event for kids and their families.” The team also focused on the pandemic’s indirect impacts on diabetes management. “We know that not getting your eyes screened regularly if you have diabetes is a problem and leads to more sight loss,” Hartmann-Boyce said.

“And we saw diabetes-related mortality and all-cause mortality increasing in England during the first wave that wasn’t attributed to COVID but was probably related to reduced access to health care and reduced health care utilization.”

The researchers note that there were more new cases of Type 1 diabetes than would have been expected, and children newly diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes were much sicker than during non-pandemic periods. Much less common than Type 2 diabetes, Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that is usually diagnosed in childhood but can occur at any age.

The negative impacts were most pronounced for females, younger people, and racial and ethnic minority groups, according to the review. The team urged that next pandemic planning must include care for people living with diabetes, particularly for those from less advantaged groups.

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Reference:

1. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated disruptions in health-care provision on clinical outcomes in people with diabetes: a systematic review - (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/landia/article/PIIS2213-8587(23)00351-0/fulltext)

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