Long-term Effects of Covid-19 İnfection and Pandemic Period in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Our study aimed to investigate the effect of Covid-19 infection and the pandemic period on diabetes regulation and other metabolic parameters in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods: Two groups of patients who were selected from patients who were admitted to internal medicine or endocrinology and metabolism outpatient clinics between 01/02/2021 - 01/05/2021, received inpatient treatment due to COVID-19 and did not have COVID-19 infection during the pandemic period were established. A total of 127 patients, 79 of whom were women and 64 of whom had Covid-19, were included in the study. The changes in control diabetes and other metabolic parameters of the patients after six months were compared as inter- and intra-group, and the differences between the groups were examined. Results: A statistically significant decrease was detected between the HbA1c measured before the pandemic and at control in all patients (p<0.05). A significant increase was detected in LDL, HDL, and Total cholesterol values (p<0.05). In the patient group with COVID-19, HbA1c was detected to be significantly lower between before and after the disease, and there was a statistically significant increase in Total cholesterol, LDL, and HDL values (p<0.05). In the patient group who did not have COVID-19, HbA1c was significantly lower between the pre-pandemic and control, and no significant difference was detected in other parameters. Conclusions: In our study, we determined that COVID-19 infection did not disrupt diabetes regulation in diabetic patients but caused dyslipidemia by increasing cholesterol levels. Dyslipidemia is predicted to increase atherosclerotic complications.