AUTHOR=Mateo-Gallego Rocio , Gracia-Rubio Irene , Garza María Carmen , Cebollada Alberto , Pérez-Calahorra Sofía , Bayona-Sánchez Ana , Bujeda-Hernández Cristina , Jarauta Estibaliz , Sánchez-Calavera Maria Antonia , Lamiquiz-Moneo Itziar 

TITLE=The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in diabetes and dyslipidemia management in a Spanish region: a retrospective study of the Aragon population

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Medicine

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/medicine/articles/10.3389/fmed.2023.1191026

DOI=10.3389/fmed.2023.1191026

ISSN=2296-858X

ABSTRACT=Introduction
Previous research has indicated that the COVID-19 outbreak had a negative impact on the diagnosis and management of cardiometabolic diseases. Our aim was to analyse the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the management of dyslipidaemia and type 2 diabetes (T2D) in the Aragon region of Spain. 
Methods
We conducted an observational retrospective study, which included data from all patients diagnosed with active T2D or dyslipidaemia in Aragon during 2019–2021. Data was collected from the BIGAN platform, a big database that includes all healthcare data from the Aragon population. Clinical, biochemical, and pharmacological prescription information was obtained for each patient and for each year. 
Results
Out of the total population of 1,330,000 in the Aragon region, 90,000 subjects were diagnosed with T2D each year, resulting in a prevalence of approximately 7%. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a decrease in the prevalence of this disease and a lower incidence during the year 2020. In addition, patients with T2D experienced a deterioration of their glucose profile, which led to an increase in the number of patients requiring pharmacological therapy. The prevalence of dyslipidaemia was approximately 23.5% in both 2019 and 2020, and increased to 24.5% in 2021. Despite the worsening of the anthropometric profile, the lipid profile improved significantly throughout 2020 and 2021 compared to that in 2019. Moreover, the number of active pharmacological prescriptions increased significantly in 2021.
Discussion
Our findings suggest that the overload of the health system caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an underdiagnosis of T2D. Moreover, patients with T2D worsened their glycaemic profile, an increase in their pharmacological requirements, and a lower performance of their analytical determinations. Dyslipidemic subjects improved their lipid profile, although the value of lipid profile determinations decreased during 2020 and 2021.