The effects of the coronavirus on people with diabetes are not yet fully understood. (PA)
by Kate Eagles
The disruption to diabetes care during the COVID-19 pandemic could potentially cause serious health problems for people living with the disease, experts warn.
Diabetics must attend routine appointments to check for possible complications. However, there are fears that a decrease in testing and delayed diagnosis in the past 15 months could have led to an increase in health problems.
Researchers at the University of Manchester have estimated that an estimated 60,000 people in the UK went undiagnosed or delayed in diagnosing type 2 diabetes between March and December 2020.
Previously, a study of 3.3 million people with diabetes in England, published by the International Journal of Clinical Practice, found that routine tests fell 88% in April 2020 after the UK lockdown on March 23rd.
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Dan Howarth, director of care at Diabetes UK, told Yahoo News UK that he is still being contacted by diabetics who are concerned about access to routine care.
He said, “We found that people with diabetes needed us more than ever in the past year. We have heard a variety of concerns from people living with diabetes during the pandemic.
“The main concerns were the shielding, the poor outcomes for people with diabetes when they contract COVID-19, and their emotional wellbeing.”
There are 4.8 million people with diabetes in the UK, about one in 14 people.
The two main types of diabetes are Type 1, an autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system destroys cells that make insulin; and type 2, where the body doesn’t make enough insulin.
Possible complications that can occur due to uncontrolled sugar levels include nerve damage and visual disturbances. Diabetes is also the leading cause of blindness among people of working age in the UK.
Eleanor Noyce, 23, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 17. (Eleanor Noyce)
Eleanor Noyce, 23, a policy student at the University of Leeds, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 17.
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She said, “I have now had both of my vaccines so the stress related to COVID has eased somewhat, but my biggest concern during the lockdown was not physically going to the hospital to make appointments.”
“I really felt disconnected from the hospital and my team. I didn’t have any eye exams in 2020 and all the appointments I had were online.
“I struggled a little more with high blood sugar so I started running to make sure I was getting along as much as possible. This high affected my emotional well-being as high blood sugar makes you more emotional and become angry.” . “
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She added, “I was prescribed a new technology during the pandemic and this has given me greater control, although I understand that will not be the case for all types.”
Last month, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that this threatens to become a global problem and stressed the urgent need to provide additional support to diabetics.
It reads: “The COVID-19 pandemic is causing fear and suffering in people with diabetes around the world. An effective response during the pandemic is hampered by a chronic lack of investment in diabetes prevention, early detection, adequate treatment and care. “
In the UK, more than 75% of adults have received their first dose of coronavirus vaccine and 50% have received both doses. People with diabetes were placed in priority group six for vaccinations because of an increased risk of developing seriously coronavirus.
Diabetics are at greater risk of having high blood sugar levels and therefore developing diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a potentially fatal condition caused by dangerously high levels of acidity in the blood.
Shivani Vyas, 25, from Bombay was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 11 when she was still living in the UK. (Shivani Vyas)
In India, which has the second highest rate of diabetes in the world, the situation is more precarious as only 12% of adults had their first vaccination and 3% are fully vaccinated.
Shivani Vyas, 25, a Bombay documentary filmmaker, told Yahoo News UK about her experience with type 1 diabetes during India’s devastating second wave.
Shivani was diagnosed with Type 1 when she was 11 years old while still living in the UK, before moving to India with her family a year later.
Their state of Maharashtra, which has been under lockdown since April, was the first Indian state to report variant B.1.617 responsible for the country’s second wave.
She said: “The pandemic has been severe, this lockdown that we are currently in has been very difficult.
“The last lockdown felt like we were all going through it together, worldwide. But the danger of the new variant means that I have to be extra careful, firstly because of the diabetes and the fact that I will not be vaccinated. ” for some time.”
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In early May, the Indian government started offering vaccines to people over the age of 18.
But there is a shortage and diabetics are not a priority, even though they are at increased risk of becoming seriously ill and dying from the virus.
“Many people find it difficult to accept that a healthy-looking young person could possibly have this autoimmune disease,” said Shivani.
“It’s like you don’t need any help if you’re not physically challenged, even though I know there are doctors out there who are really trying to fight that attitude.”
A non-governmental organization (NGO) in India has warned that the situation is helpless for some.
Nupur Lalvani, Director of the Blue Circle Diabetes Foundation in Mumbai, said, “India has a unique set of problems for people with diabetes as we are experiencing a vaccine shortage as well as a huge increase in COVID-19 cases.
“I have had diabetes for 26 years and have not yet been vaccinated. I recognize the urgency, but I am also helpless.
“I spend a few hours every day trying to schedule a slot without success, as the few vaccine slots that open online book up in seconds.”
Lalvani has started voluntary projects to provide psychological support to diabetics during this difficult time, including a support hotline, a buddy program and workshops that provide information on glucose control.
You can donate to Diabetes UK here. You can find more information about the Blue Circle Diabetes Foundation here.
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