A study published in ‘The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism’ revealed that Black people with type 1 diabetes (T1D) were more likely to have a diabetic ketoacidosis event before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019 than other racial-ethnic groups.

The study compared DKA events among children and adults with T1D during COVID-19 surge 1 (March-May 2020) and COVID-19 surge 2 (August-October 2020) to the same periods in 2019. Analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests. The analysis of data from seven medical centers in the T1D Exchange Quality Improvement Collaborative revealed that black people with type 1 diabetes had significantly more DKA events in both years than white and Hispanic people. DKA was less common among patients on continuous glucose monitor (CGM) or insulin pump in 2020 compared to 2019 (CGM: 13.2% vs 15.0%, p< 0.001; insulin pump: 8.0% vs 10.6%, p< 0.001). In contrast to annual DKA totals, a higher proportion of patients had DKA during COVID-19 surges 1 and 2 compared to the same months in 2019 (surge 1: 7.1% vs 5.4%, p< 0.001; surge 2: 6.6% vs 5.7%, p=0.001).

According to the authors, DKA frequency increased among T1D patients during COVID-19 surges with the highest frequency among NHB. The study necessitates the need for the urgent need for improved strategies to prevent DKA among patients with T1D under all conditions especially among populations most affected by health inequities.