Introduction:

The COVID-19 pandemic lockdown led to restricted access to healthcare services and lifestyle modifications across the population, particularly impacting individuals with non-communicable chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus. These changes may have affected glycemic control and increased the risk of complications in this population.

Objective:

To assess the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on glycemic control among patients with confirmed type 2 diabetes mellitus enrolled in a chronic disease management program across five municipalities in Valle del Cauca between 2019 and 2021.

Materials and Methods:

This was a retrospective cohort study involving adult type 2 diabetes mellitus patients in a chronic disease care program. A bivariate analysis was conducted to compare sociodemographic (age, sex, place of origin) and clinical characteristics (renal function, glycosylated hemoglobin) between patients with and without metabolic control across three periods: before, during, and after the lockdown. Additionally, a multivariate analysis was performed and visualized in a forest plot.

Results:

2612 patients were included, no significant differences were found in glycosylated hemoglobin levels before and during the lockdown; 65.85 % of patients maintained adequate glycemic control, which increased slightly to 66.7 % in 2021. Variables associated with glycemic control included age, renal stage, and municipality.

Conclusions:

The COVID-19 lockdown did not negatively impact glycemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients, with a slight improvement observed in the final study period.

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