Impact of the UK COVID-19 pandemic on HbA1c testing and its implications for diabetes diagnosis and management

Assessment of the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on UK HbA1c testing: implications for diabetes management and diagnosis

AIMS

The COVID-19 pandemic, and the focus on mitigating its effects, has disrupted diabetes healthcare services worldwide. We aimed to quantify the effect of the pandemic on diabetes diagnosis/management, using glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) as surrogate, across six UK centres.

METHODS

Using routinely collected laboratory data, we estimated the number of missed HbA1c tests for 'diagnostic'/'screening'/'management' purposes during the COVID-19 impact period (CIP; 23 March 2020 to 30 September 2020). We examined potential impact in terms of: (1) diabetes control in people with diabetes and (2) detection of new diabetes and prediabetes cases.

RESULTS

In April 2020, HbA1c test numbers fell by ~80%. Overall, across six centres, 369 871 tests were missed during the 6.28 months of the CIP, equivalent to >6.6 million tests nationwide. We identified 79 131 missed 'monitoring' tests in people with diabetes. In those 28 564 people with suboptimal control, this delayed monitoring was associated with a 2-3 mmol/mol HbA1c increase. Overall, 149 455 'screening' and 141 285 'diagnostic' tests were also missed. Across the UK, our findings equate to 1.41 million missed/delayed diabetes monitoring tests (including 0.51 million in people with suboptimal control), 2.67 million screening tests in high-risk groups (0.48 million within the prediabetes range) and 2.52 million tests for diagnosis (0.21 million in the pre-diabetes range; ~70 000 in the diabetes range).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings illustrate the widespread collateral impact of implementing measures to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 in people with, or being investigated for, diabetes. For people with diabetes, missed tests will result in further deterioration in diabetes control, especially in those whose HbA1c levels are already high.

Fixed dose combination drugs for cardiovascular disease in a prolonged humanitarian crisis in Lebanon: an implementation study

OBJECTIVES

This pre-post implementation study evaluated the introduction of fixed dose combination (FDC) medications for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) secondary prevention into routine care in a humanitarian setting.

SETTING

Two Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) primary care clinics serving Syrian refugee and host populations in north Lebanon.

PARTICIPANTS

Consenting patients ≥18 years with existing ASCVD requiring secondary prevention medication were eligible for study enrolment. Those with FDC contraindication(s) or planning to move were excluded. Of 521 enrolled patients, 460 (88.3%) were retained at 6 months, and 418 (80.2%) switched to FDC. Of these, 84% remained on FDC (n=351), 8.1% (n=34) discontinued and 7.9% (n=33) were lost to follow-up by month 12.

INTERVENTIONS

Eligible patients, enrolled February-May 2019, were switched to Trinomia FDC (atorvastatin 20 mg, aspirin 100 mg, ramipril 2.5/5/10 mg) after 6 months' usual care. During the study, the COVID-19 pandemic, an economic crisis and clinic closures occurred.

OUTCOME MEASURES

Descriptive and regression analyses compared key outcomes at 6 and 12 months: medication adherence, non-high density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) and systolic blood pressure (SBP) control. We performed per-protocol, intention-to-treat and secondary analyses of non-switchers.

RESULTS

Among 385 switchers remaining at 12 months, total adherence improved 23%, from 63% (95% CI 58 to 68) at month 6, to 86% (95% CI 82 to 90) at month 12; mean non-HDL-C levels dropped 0.28 mmol/L (95% CI -0.38 to -0.18; p<0.0001), from 2.39 (95% CI 2.26 to 2.51) to 2.11 mmol/L (95% CI 2.00 to 2.22); mean SBP dropped 2.89 mm Hg (95% CI -4.49 to -1.28; p=0.0005) from 132.7 (95% CI 130.8 to 134.6) to 129.7 mm Hg (95% CI 127.9 to 131.5). Non-switchers had smaller improvements in adherence and clinical outcomes.

CONCLUSION

Implementing an ASCVD secondary prevention FDC improved adherence and CVD risk factors in MSF clinics in Lebanon, with potential for wider implementation by humanitarian actors and host health systems.

SPUR: psychometric properties of a patient-reported outcome measure of medication adherence in type 2 diabetes

INTRODUCTION

Poor medication adherence is associated with worsening patient health outcomes and increasing healthcare costs. A holistic tool to assess both medication adherence and drivers of adherence behaviour has yet to be developed. This study aimed to examine SPUR, a multifactorial patient-reported outcome measure of medication adherence in patients living with type 2 diabetes, with a view to develop a suitable model for psychometric analysis.Furthermore, the study aimed to explore the relationship between the SPUR model and socio-clinical factors of medication adherence.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

The study recruited 378 adult patients living with type 2 diabetes from a mix of community and secondary-care settings to participate in this non-interventional cross-sectional study. The original SPUR-45 tool was completed by participants with other patient-reported outcome measures for comparison, in addition to the collection of two objective adherence measures; HbA1c and the medication possession ratio (MPR).

RESULTS

Factor and reliability analysis conducted on SPUR-45 produced a revised and more concise version (27-items) of the tool, SPUR-27, which was psychometrically assessed. SPUR-27 observed strong internal consistency with significant correlations to the other psychometric measures (Beliefs about Medication Questionnaire, Diabetes Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire, Medicine Adherence Rating Scale) completed by participants. Higher SPUR-27 scores were associated with lower HbA1c values and a higher MPR, as well as other predicted socio-clinical factors such as higher income, increased age and lower body mass index.

CONCLUSIONS

SPUR-27 demonstrated strong psychometric properties. Further work should look to examine the test-retest reliability of the model as well as examine transferability to other chronic conditions and broader population samples. Overall, the initial findings suggest that SPUR-27 is a reliable model for the multifactorial assessment of medication adherence among patients living with type 2 diabetes.

Trends in lifetime risk and years of potential life lost from diabetes in the United States, 1997–2018

Background

Both incidence and mortality of diagnosed diabetes have decreased over the past decade. However, the impact of these changes on key metrics of diabetes burden–lifetime risk (LR), years of potential life lost (YPLL), and years spent with diabetes–is unknown.

Methods

We used data from 653,811 adults aged ≥18 years from the National Health Interview Survey, a cross-sectional sample of the civilian non-institutionalized population in the United States. LR, YPLL, and years spent with diabetes were estimated from age 18 to 84 by survey period (1997–1999, 2000–2004, 2005–2009, 2010–2014, 2015–2018). The age-specific incidence of diagnosed diabetes and mortality were estimated using Poisson regression. A multistate difference equation accounting for competing risks was used to model each metric.

Results

LR and years spent with diabetes initially increased then decreased over the most recent time periods. LR for adults at age 20 increased from 31.7% (95% CI: 31.2–32.1%) in 1997–1999 to 40.7% (40.2–41.1%) in 2005–2009, then decreased to 32.8% (32.4–33.2%) in 2015–2018. Both LR and years spent with diabetes were markedly higher among adults of non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, and other races compared to non-Hispanic Whites. YPLL significantly decreased over the study period, with the estimated YPLL due to diabetes for an adult aged 20 decreasing from 8.9 (8.7–9.1) in 1997–1999 to 6.2 (6.1–6.4) in 2015–2018 (p = 0.02).

Conclusion

In the United States, diabetes burden is declining, but disparities by race/ethnicity remain. LR remains high with approximately one-third of adults estimated to develop diabetes during their lifetime.

Improved glucometrics in people with type 1 diabetes 1 year into the COVID-19 pandemic

INTRODUCTION

Various studies have shown a number of glycemic parameters to improve over several weeks in people with type 1 diabetes during the first surge of the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether and to what extent such improvement is sustained during following COVID-19 surges remains unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate glycemic parameters during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in people with type 1 diabetes and to determine factors associated with glycemic improvement.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

This was an observational cohort study in people with type 1 diabetes, aged ≥16 years. We compared glycated hemoglobin (HbA_1c) and flash glucose monitoring (FGM) downloads between the prelockdown period and approximately 1 year thereafter. Using logistic regression analysis, we assessed associations between an HbA_1c reduction of at least 0.5% (~5.5 mmol/mol) with baseline clinical characteristics and self-reported changes in psychological well-being and lifestyle behavior related to COVID-19.

RESULTS

A total of 437 participants were included. As compared with prepandemic data, 1 year after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns, HbA_1c had decreased from 7.9%±1.1% (63±12 mmol/mol) to 7.5%±1.0% (59±11 mmol/mol) (p<0.001), whereas time in range increased from 55.8%±16.7% to 58.6%±16.7% (p=0.004) and time below (<3.9 mmol/L) and above (>13.9 mmol/L) range and glucose variability all decreased (all p<0.05). FGM use, higher HbA_1c at baseline and current smoking were independently associated with an HbA_1c decrease of at least 0.5%, whereas self-reported changes in psychological well-being and lifestyle behavior related to the first surge of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns were not.

CONCLUSIONS

The COVID-19 pandemic and related lockdown measures were associated with improvement in glucometrics, including HbA_1c and FGM data, in individuals with type 1 diabetes, particularly in FGM users, those with higher HbA_1c at baseline or current smokers.

The management of type 2 diabetes before, during and after Covid-19 infection: what is the evidence?

Patients with Covid-19 place new challenges on the management of type 2 diabetes, including the questions of whether glucose-lowering therapy should be adjusted during infection and how to manage a return to normal care after resolution of Covid-19 symptoms. Due to the sudden onset of the pandemic, physicians have by necessity made such important clinical decisions in the absence of robust evidence or consistent guidelines. The risk to patients is compounded by the prevalence of cardiovascular disease in this population, which alongside diabetes is a major risk factor for severe disease and mortality in Covid-19. We convened as experts from the Central and Eastern European region to consider what advice we can provide in the setting of type 2 diabetes and Covid-19, considering the evidence before, during and after infection. We review recommendations that have been published to date, and consider the best available—but currently limited—evidence from large observational studies and the DARE-19 randomized control trial. Notably, we find a lack of guidance on restarting patients on optimal antidiabetic therapy after recovering from Covid-19, and suggest that this may provide an opportunity to optimize treatment and counter clinical inertia that predates the pandemic. Furthermore, we emphasize that optimization applies not only to glycaemic control, but other factors such as cardiorenal protection. While we look forward to the emergence of new evidence that we hope will address these gaps, in the interim we provide a perspective, based on our collective clinical experience, on how best to manage glucose-lowering therapy as patients with Covid-19 recover from their disease and return to normal care.

Diabetes and tuberculosis: A syndemic complicated by COVID-19

Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of infectious mortality in the world, affecting mainly developing countries (DC), while diabetes (DM) is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases.

This review analyzes the fact that diabetes is currently an important risk factor for developing TB, also presenting more complicated TB, more relapses and higher mortality. The DCs and the fourth world of the large cities are those with the highest incidence of TB and an increase in DM, which will make it difficult to control tuberculosis disease. At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic is complicating the management of both diseases due to the difficulty of access to control and treatment and the worsening of socioeconomic inequalities. It is necessary to establish a bidirectional screening for TB and DM and promote recommendations for the joint management of both diseases.

Diabetes and tuberculosis: a syndemic complicated by COVID-19

Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of infectious mortality in the world, affecting mainly developing countries (DC), while diabetes (DM) is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases. This review analyzes the fact that diabetes is currently an important risk factor for developing TB, also presenting more complicated TB, more relapses and higher mortality. The DCs and the fourth world of the large cities are those with the highest incidence of TB and an increase in DM, which will make it difficult to control tuberculosis disease. At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic is complicating the management of both diseases due to the difficulty of access to control and treatment and the worsening of socioeconomic inequalities. It is necessary to establish a bidirectional screening for TB and DM and promote recommendations for the joint management of both diseases.