ESPE Abstracts

Background: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has forced the authorities to impose a lockdown to minimize the risk of infection. This extreme and prolonged situation has caused changes in habits, dietary and glycemic control in children with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) and Flash glucose monitoring (FGM) have allowed health care professionals to a remote control of the patients.

Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of lockdown on routine and glycemic control in children with T1D.

Methods: A retrospective study on children under 18 years old with T1D using CGM or FGM in one centre (Barcelona, Spain) comparing 2 periods: 4 weeks before the start of the COVID-19 lockdown and 4 weeks during consecutive lockdown. They answered a questionnaire about their habits, T1D treatment and control. Sensor data from the two periods were compared.

Results: A total of 39 children were included (age 10.4 ± 3.6, diabetes duration 4.3 ± 3.5 ages). Most of the children experienced changes in their routines especially in exercise habits and time spent with screens that were reversed and most of them reduced the number of meals per day. Daily insulin doses changed in more than a half of children (56,4% basal and 69,2% bolus). Problems related with diabetes which needed medical assistance were resolved with a virtual visit. No significant differences in glucose targets were found when comparing the two periods of time. Only coefficient of variation (CV) decreased from 36.4±5.8% to 34.8±6.5%, (p 0.036) comparing the two periods of time. No differences were found in time in range (49,3% to 48,55%) (P = 0,5), estimated HbA1c (8,1% to 8,4) (P = 0,189) and mean glucose (182,6 (±28,8) mg/l to 187,5 (±33,9) mg/dL) (P = 0,259). Time in hypoglycemia decreased (3,37% to 2,7%) and time in hyperglycemia increased (50,66% to 52,41%) during the lockdown but the differences were not significant.

Conclusions: In our study we found substantial changes in routines in children with T1D during the lockdown but on the other hand we did not find worsening in glycaemic control during those days comparing the two periods of time.