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Endocrine Abstracts (2022) 81 P631 | DOI: 10.1530/endoabs.81.P631

Rabta Hospital, Endocrinology, Tunisia


Introduction: Glycaemic control is still difficult to achieve despite advances in the pharmacotherapy of type 2 diabetes. Moreover, the COVID-19 crisis led to a disruption in medical consultations and in the access to medications. The aim of our study was to identify factors associated with poor glycaemic control in Tunisian type 2 diabetic patients during the COVID-19 crisis.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study, carried out in December 2021, on type 2 diabetic patients followed up at the outpatient clinic of the department of endocrinology in Rabta University hospital. Three hundred patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus followed up for at least two years were included. Each patient underwent a clinical examination. Data on glycaemic control during 2019 and 2021 were collected from the medical file.

Results: Patients were 117 males and 183 females with a mean age of 61.6±9.7 years (22-91). One or more micro or macrovascular complications were present in 47.3%. Twenty-nine percent were previously infected with COVID-19 and 87% were vaccinated. More than half (52%) had poor socio-economic conditions and 46.7% were unable to buy their medications if unavailable in the public structures. The visits were irregular in one third of the patients, of whom 73.3% took regularly their medication. The mean annual HbA1c in 2021 was 8.2±1.8%. HbA1c was within the personalized targets in 42.7%. Uncontrolled diabetes was positively correlated with disease duration (P=10 -3), poly-medication (P=0.031), poor compliance to treatment (P=0.002), and the lack of drugs availability (P=0.002). No correlation was found with the gender (P=0.805) or the occurrence of a COVID-19 infection (P=0.204). In multivariate analysis, independent risk factors were a duration of the disease longer than 6.5 years (OR=3.83; P< 10-3), poor compliance to treatment (OR=2.37, P=0.029), and a mean annual HbA1c in 2019 higher than 7% (OR=9.09; P< 10-3).

Conclsion: The management of diabetes should be patient-centred and multifactorial. It is therefore necessary to work on socio-economic factors and therapeutic education in order to improve the health status of our patients and limit the early onset of vascular complications.

Volume 81

European Congress of Endocrinology 2022

Milan, Italy
21 May 2022 - 24 May 2022

European Society of Endocrinology 

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