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COVID-19 Impact on Ohioans with Diabetes

Date: 01/14/22

The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating effects on Ohioans diagnosed with diabetes and health officials are concerned about the long term effects the continued pandemic will have on the patients. As your guide to better health, Buckeye Health Plan is encouraging Ohioans to take control of their health despite the pandemic continuing.

As of November 2021, COVID-19 has killed more than [600,000] people in the United States, with diabetes being noted as an underlying condition in approximately [40%] of COVID-19 patient deaths. Among people younger than 65 who died from the infection, about half had diabetes. And those numbers don’t reflect the damage the pandemic inflicted on diabetic patients who never had the virus but fell victim to the isolation and disruption it caused, resulting in poor management of their condition and in some cases, death. Diabetes-related deaths last year surged 17 percent to more than 100,000. Younger people (ages 25 to 44) suffered the sharpest increase, with a 29 percent jump in deaths. By comparison, all other causes of death, except those directly attributed to the coronavirus, rose six percent.

Unfortunately, diabetics were at a disadvantage from the start. Prior to the pandemic, diabetes diagnoses were growing and many patients faced poor health outcomes due to barriers to accessessing quality healthcare and support. In 2019 U.S. deaths attributed primarily to diabetes reached their highest rate in eight years. With Type 2 diabetes accounted for 90-to-95 percent of diabetes cases, there was a chance for Ohioans to delay, prevent or even reverse their diagnosis. But, when the pandemic hit, lockdowns and fear made getting needed care, support and resources challenging.

“Type 2 diabetes is associated with both genetic and lifestyle factors such as obesity, poor diet and lack of physical activity,” said Dr. Brad Lucas, Buckeye Health Plan’s Chief Medical Officer. “These factors combined with isolation during the pandemic worsened diabetics’ outcomes. Now, we must encourage diabetic patients to pursue healthy lifestyles amid the lingering COVID-19 virus.”

Buckeye Health Plan encourages Ohioans to keep their Diabetes in check by:

  • Continuing to take diabetes medications and insulin
  • Testing their blood sugar and tracking the results
  • Having at least a 30-day supply of medications, including insulin
  • Staying up to date on annual well visits
  • And, calling the doctor if they have concerns about their condition or feel sick

Poor lifestyle choices over the last two years has also made more Ohioans at risk for diabetes. In fact, as many as one in four[1] people may have the disease and not know it. Symptoms can be so subtle that they often go unnoticed, leading to serious health complications including heart disease and vision challenges.

Know the signs of diabetes

The most common symptoms of diabetes include:

  • Increased thirst
  • Frequent urination
  • Increased hunger
  • Weight loss
  • Fatigue
  • Blurry vision
  • Cuts/bruises that are slow to heal
  • Tingling, pain or numbness in the hands/feet

Reduce your risks

It’s never too late to start making healthier decisions. Creating healthy lifestyle habits can reduce the risk of serious health complications associated with diabetes. Ohioans should:

  • Eat a healthy, balanced diet. Limit processed foods, saturated and trans fat and eat more fruit, vegetables and high-fiber foods
  • Exercise regularly. Stay active most days of the week to help manage weight, reduce blood glucose levels and help improve blood pressure and cholesterol.
  • Maintain a healthy weight. Body fat, especially stored around the stomach area, can increase the body’s resistance to insulin, which can lead to type 2 diabetes. Losing five-to-10 percent of body weight can significantly reduce the risk of diabetes.[2]
  • Stop smoking. Smokers are 30 to 40 percent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than nonsmokers, and the more cigarettes you smoke, the higher your risk.[3]
  • Get support. Programs like Buckeye’s Diabetes Empowerment Education Program (DEEP) program and care management help members living with diabetes understand and manage their condition and overall health.

For more information on the importance of diabetes management, visit BuckeyeHealthPlan.com/diabetes or call 1-866-246-4358.