Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: The COVID 19 pandemic is causing a considerable degree of fear and concern among the general population. In diabetic pregnant women, this risk is even higher given the physiological and psychological changes that occur during pregnancy.

Goal of the study: To evaluate the prevalence and risk factors for the onset of anxiety-depressive disorders in pregnant women with diabetes during the COVID 19 pandemic in comparison with those followed outside this period.

Materials and methods: Case-control study on diabetic pregnant women followed in the endocrinology department of CHU Ibn Rochd (March 2020 - May 2021), based on the Hamilton anxiety and depression scale Arabic version.

Results: The study included 117 patients with an average age of 30.9 years. 60% had pre-gestational diabetes.70% were on insulin. Mean HbA1c was 8.7%. 19% had complicated diabetes. 18% reported an unwanted pregnancy. Only 15% of patients had planned their pregnancy. 30% of patients had a history of maternal-fetal complications. 31% had a history of SARS cov 2 infection. 31% of patients thought that the virus is more serious in diabetics and more than 50% had fears about the risk of materofetal transmission and the risk of fetal malformations. Anxiety was objectified in 74% of patients against 65% in controls and depression was found in 45% against 30% in controls. Anxio-depressive disorders were significantly associated with insulin therapy, the presence of maternal-fetal complications and the belief of patients vis-à-vis the virus. Depression was significantly associated with pregestational diabetes. Anxio-depressive disorders were less marked in patients with a history of SARS cov 2 infection.

Conclusion: Our study demonstrated a significant increase in the prevalence of anxiety-depressive disorders in diabetic pregnant women during the COVID 19 pandemic compared to the control group. This is mainly due to the beliefs of the patients vis-à-vis the virus. This justifies the need for screening and management of these disorders in this population during this period.