Young people with type 1 diabetes on insulin pump therapy could fast safely during COVID-19 pandemic Ramadan: A telemonitoring experience in Bangladesh.

ABSTRACT

Our aim was to report our telemedicine experience with type 1 diabetes patients using insulin pumps who fasted for Ramadan 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The routine diabetes outpatient care in our Changing Diabetes in Children (CDiC) Pediatric Diabetes Center at the Bangladesh Institute of Research and Rehabilitation in Diabetes, Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders hospital was closed, as there was a lockdown from 26 March in Bangladesh. The diabetes team in our center started telemedicine care for routine follow up of patients. Nine patients who wished to fast for Ramadan contacted our diabetes team over the phone. The mean age was 19.3 ± 5.0 years, and five (55.6%) were female. Most of the patients fasted >20 days. Hyperglycemia and mild hypoglycemia were common complications during fasting. There was no episode of severe hypoglycemia or diabetic ketoacidosis, and none of the patients required admission. During the COVID-19 crisis in Bangladesh, patients with type 1 diabetes using an insulin pump could fast safely for Ramadan with the support of the telemedicine service by the diabetes team.