Changes in glycemic control and body weight over the course of the COVID 19 pandemic in an outpatient setting.

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic altered health outcomes in populations through a host of downstream social, economic, and psychological changes, especially among those with chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Some studies reveal worsened glycemic control and weight gain, while others indicate improved glycemic control and weight loss. Thus, evidence demonstrates conflicting results in this context. We aimed to conduct a study to explore changes in these metrics in an outpatient setting providing for an underserved population. Methods: We conducted a single-site observational study at a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in New York City to compare glycemic control and body weight, measured by Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and body mass index (BMI) respectively, before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: After the pandemic, there was a 103% increase in the annual change in average HbA1c from the years prior to the pandemic versus from early 2020 to 2021 (p < 0.005). Mean BMI increased during the pandemic, although this was not statistically significant. The slope for the change in BMI over five years prior to the pandemic is -0.09, while the slope of change in BMI before and after the onset of COVID-19 is 0.31. The difference between the two slopes is 0.48 (p = 0.37). Discussion/Conclusion: Our study reveals that the COVID-19 pandemic could have contributed to a worsening in the status of metabolic disorders due to decreased physical activity, worsened dietary habits, psychosocial stressors, and reduced access to healthcare, emphasizing the need for enhanced medical, pharmaceutical and emotional support. Concurrently, many individuals adopted healthier practices through dietary and activity modifications, with a resulting improvement in cardio-metabolic parameters.

Genetic analysis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease within a Caribbean-Hispanic population.

We explored potential genetic risk factors implicated in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) within a Caribbean-Hispanic population in New York City. A total of 316 individuals including 40 subjects with biopsy-proven NAFLD, 24 ethnically matched non-NAFLD controls, and a 252 ethnically mixed random sampling of Bronx County, New York were analyzed. Genotype analysis was performed to determine allelic frequencies of 74 known single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with NAFLD risk based on previous genome-wide association study (GWAS) and candidate gene studies. Additionally, the entire coding region of PNPLA3, a gene showing the strongest association to NAFLD was subjected to Sanger sequencing. Results suggest that both rare and common DNA variations in PNPLA3 and SAMM50 may be correlated with NAFLD in this small population study, while common DNA variations in CHUK and ERLIN1, may have a protective interaction. Common SNPs in ENPP1 and ABCC2 have suggestive association with fatty liver, but with less compelling significance. In conclusion, Hispanic patients of Caribbean ancestry may have different interactions with NAFLD genetic modifiers; therefore, further investigation with a larger sample size, into this Caribbean-Hispanic population is warranted.