Impact of Coronavirus Disease 2019 Lockdown on Quality of Life and Locus of Control in Elderly Subjects with Type 2 Diabetes

Objective: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and its associated restrictions have adversely affected clinical and psychological well-being, especially in elderly subjects with type 2 diabetes (T2D). The aim of the stuy was to evaluate the impact of the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic on metabolic parameters, diabetes quality of life (DQoL), and locus of control (LOC) in elderly outpatients with T2D, also taking into account potential gender differences. Methods: Major clinical parameters, DQoL, and LOC were evaluated in a group of consecutive elderly T2D patients on oral hypoglycemic drugs before and after 12 months of the lockdown period. Results: The glycemic control of the study subjects (n = 94; age 65-89 years) did not significantly change during the observation period. Overall, QoL slightly improved, mainly due to a reduction in the impact domain, which explores the consequences of diabetes on daily life. Regarding the LOC questionnaire, the internal score increased, and the scores of the external and chance domains decreased, indicating a lower attribution of disease control to chance or other people. These changes were more evident in men than in women. Conclusion: In this group of elderly T2D outpatients with good glycemic control, the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic did not negatively impact health-related QoL and increased the awareness of patients’ role, especially in men.