Social isolation during Covid-19: Boon or bane to diabetes management

Abstract

Public health responses to Covid-19 have varied globally with some countries including New Zealand and India adopting total lockdown while other countries are taking a more liberal approach to restrictions. Recent simulation modelling work by Ghosal (2020) [1] suggests that the duration of lockdown in India is directly proportional to the worsening of glycaemic control and diabetes-related complications. The authors suggest that this may be due to limited opportunities to engage in a healthy lifestyle (including exercise) and the reduced accessibility of anti-diabetic medications and medical advice. We agree that the varying lockdown measures may have a direct impact on diabetes management (HbA1c control) as diabetes (particularly for type 2 diabetes) is often managed with lifestyle strategies such as exercise, diet modification, and self-monitoring of blood glucose and not exclusively through anti-diabetic medications [2,3].