Diabetes Management Delivery and Pregnancy Outcomes in Women with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus during the First Wave of the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic: A Single-Reference Center Report

摘要

Objectives. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced a rapid adaptation of healthcare services to secure care for many patient groups. This includes women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). We evaluated the impacts of the first COVID-19 wave on parameters such as the GDM treatment, glycemic control, and pregnancy outcomes. Methods. In this retrospective study from a reference diabetes center (Krakow, Poland), we compared patient data from two different time periods: the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020–June 2020) and the preceding five months (October 2019–February 2020). Data was collected from the medical records and telephone surveys. Results. We included 155 consecutive women (group and group from the COVID-19 pandemic period and non-COVID-19 period, respectively). During the COVID-19 pandemic, almost half of all GDM women ( , 49.3%) used telemedicine as a method of contacting their diabetic specialists while this tool was not utilized in the earlier period. Moreover, these patients reported difficulties in performing blood glucose self-control more often ( , 27.4%, vs , 8.5%; ) and spent less time on diabetes education than the control group on average ( , 53.4%, vs , 9.8% below 2 hours of training; ). Most analyzed glycemic parameters and pregnancy outcomes were similar. Differences were found with respect to the incidence of prolonged labor ( , 16.4%, vs , 3.7%; ) and preeclampsia ( vs , 8.5%; ). Conclusion. In this single-center observational study, the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic did not seem to have a negative impact on pregnancy outcomes in GDM women, despite the difficulties in diabetes management delivery.