The world continues to suffer a dramatic situation of catastrophic proportions due to the worldwide spread of COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 [1]. SARS-CoV-2 appears to impact people with comorbidities, for example diabetes mellitus (DM), and symptoms may persist for more than 12 weeks post–COVID-19. Among these symptoms, the most prevalent are fatigue, dyspnea, weakness, and headache; this conglomeration of persistent symptoms is called “long COVID” or “post–COVID-19 Syndrome” [2]. Studies in the international literature point out that the risk of long COVID is probably higher in women, older people, people with obesity, and patients with diabetes [2,3].

DM is a chronic disease with devastating multisystemic complications and is estimated to have inflicted 463 million people worldwide in 2019, with a projected trend of reaching 578 million people by 2030. It is estimated that 80% of people with DM live in low- and middle-income countries. Data from the Brazilian Diabetes Society indicate that there were more than 14 million people with the disease in 2015 in Brazil [4], which ranked fourth most in the world. In 2019, it was estimated that there would be 16.8 million Brazilians with diabetes between 20 and 79 years old, with a projected increase of 55% by 2045 [5,6].

In this pandemic context, the older population is a high-risk group for infection with SARS-CoV-2 as their immune systems suffer from the aging process, called immunosenescence, in which there is a reduction in the ability to respond to infections, promoting an increase in the severity of infectious diseases [7], especially in those with comorbidities. Thus, significant impacts of COVID-19 have been observed pertaining to the health and quality of life of the older population. There are several definitions of quality of life; however, the most widely used is that by the World Health Organization (WHO), which defines it as an individual’s perception of his or her position in life in the context of the culture and value system in which he or she lives and in relation to his or her goals, expectations, standards, and concerns [8]. In this sense, it becomes necessary to review public policies and strategies to ensure the quality of life of older people living with diabetes after contracting COVID-19 and strengthen health actions effectively to improve the health behaviors of individuals with diabetes [9] so that there is an efficient recovery of those affected by long COVID. Thus, the guiding question of this study was the following: what are the sociodemographic, clinical, and quality of life profiles of older people with diabetes treated at a university hospital during the pandemic? This study aimed to answer this question in a university hospital complex in the northern Amazon region.

Among the 54 interviewees, there was a higher prevalence of women and the mean age of participants was 68.2 (SD 5.82) years. Most participants were married (n=25, 46%), retired (n=31, 57%), and had incomplete elementary education (n=28, 52%). Additionally, most had been treated for DM for 1 to 10 years (n=22, 41%) and self-reported a good quality of life (n=27, 50%; Table 1).

As for the clinical profile, it was observed that of the 54 interviewees, 48% (n=26) were infected by SARS-CoV-2. The most prevalent symptoms were fever followed by loss of taste and dyspnea. Among the 26 infected participants, 62% (n=16) were diagnosed with long COVID, presenting most commonly with fatigue or muscle weakness followed by myalgia. It is noteworthy that most of the respondents infected with COVID-19 did not discontinue their treatment for DM (Table 2).

Table 3 shows the dimensions and items of the D-39 between waves. Overall, we noticed that the dimensions “sexual functioning” (mean 2.91, SD 2.11; P<.001) and “social overload” (mean 2.97, SD 1.76; P<.001) were unaffected, while the dimensions “energy and mobility” (mean 3.53, SD 1.71; P=.005), “diabetes control” (mean 3.60, SD 1.81; P<.001), and “anxiety and worry” (mean 3.96, SD 1.82; P<.001) had a higher score. Items 11, 20, 28, 31, 34, and 37 were not affected. Moreover, all other items were affected, especially items 14, 15, and 39. All results were statistically significant (Table 3).

Although research data on older people with diabetes is known worldwide, the assessment of their quality of life during pandemic times is still insufficient, and there is little research that has evaluated the effect of long COVID on the quality of life of this specific population. In this study, the sociodemographic profile showed a predominance of older women, corroborating other studies carried out in the Brazilian context [15-17]. The prevalence of older women with diabetes can be justified by the historical process of greater male mortality throughout life, which may be linked to lifestyle habits and health care, with this profile being observed worldwide [18].

Regarding age groups, there was a predominance of people between 60 and 64 years old, with a trend pointing toward longevity, approaching the Brazilian national estimate of 75 years old [19]. This result shows that older people have been seeking health services, mainly due to the severity of the pandemic in the country, and requiring specialized health care with the risks of COVID-19. However, we emphasize that in Brazil, the implementation of the Brazilian Ministry of Health’s National Policy for Comprehensive Men’s Health Care and access to health services for people aged 60 years or older is deficient [20,21].

The majority of older people interviewed had an incomplete education. This result can be explained by the difficulty in accessing school for women in the 20th century [22]. This fact corroborates the finding that women have little participation in work, contributing to the low level of education [23]. Studies have indicated that low education is correlated with lower quality of life scores [23,24].

When analyzing marital status, there was a predominance of married individuals and those in stable unions, corroborating a study carried out with older people with diabetes in northern Brazil [25]. A study carried out with older people showed that being married positively affected quality of life when associated with a couple, emphasizing that family members or other social support must be addressed as predictors of quality of life [26].

It was observed that the majority of older people were retired. Retirement predominates as the main source of income. Furthermore, it can be seen as a time for stress-free activities; it can be a time to find ways to start over, to take on projects, and to continue operating as a subject of one’s own destiny and as an agent in the family and society [25]. Another study pointed out that it may be a reason for attention, as this process is characterized by withdrawal from productive life and can lead to inactivity and sadness [26].

The treatment time for most elderly people for DM was relatively long, between 1 and 20 years. Previous reports have shown that the duration of treatment and adherence to drug therapy [27-29] coincide with the results of this study [27]. Regarding the quantity of medications used to control DM, there was a predominance of the use of few medications (ie, between 1 and 2). This differs from Brazilian studies that showed polypharmacy in individuals aged 60 years or older, which involved the use of a large number of medications [30]. These individuals are susceptible to the simultaneous involvement of dysfunctions in different organs or systems, and are therefore candidates for multiple use of medications.

It is interesting to note that despite the long period of DM, the majority of older people self-assessed their health as good. This result may be related to the fact that older people are cared for by a health service that offers specialized professional care, involving educational practices aimed at patients with diabetes [31,32].

Brazil is one of the countries most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with high estimates of morbidity and mortality from the disease a challenge shared by several countries. By October 17, 2022, the country had registered more than 4.6 million cases and 687,144 deaths from the disease. These numbers are growing at an unprecedented rate and pose significant challenges for the country and the health system due to the impact of losses, sequelae, and the future burden of disease [33].

In this sense, with regard to the clinical conditions of COVID-19, it is noteworthy that the majority of interviewees were infected by SARS-CoV-2, reflecting that the older population constitutes a vulnerable group and are at risk of infection by SARS-CoV-2, especially in those suffering from chronic diseases (eg, hypertension, diabetes, kidney disease, lung disease, and others), which increase the severity of the infection and its complications [7].

The WHO defines long COVID as a post–COVID-19 condition that occurs in individuals with a probable or confirmed history of SARS-CoV-2, generally 3 months after the onset of COVID-19, with symptoms that last at least 2 months and which cannot be explained by an alternative diagnosis [33]. In this study, the participants reported myalgia as the main symptom, followed by fatigue or muscle weakness, corroborating studies carried out in Korea [33] and the United Kingdom [34] with older people reporting myalgia and fatigue or muscle weakness as persistent symptoms.

The WHO points out that 10% to 20% of people who have recovered from SARS-CoV-2 suffer from post–COVID-19 symptoms, which can last more than a year [35]. In this regard, the WHO recommends that governments implement integrated care for patients suffering from this condition, including rehabilitation for the treatment of long COVID [34,36]. At the research site of this study, an outpatient rehabilitation clinic for long COVID was created, and patients are monitored by health professionals, mainly with assistance from physiotherapists.

In this study, when analyzing the distribution of responses from interviewees related to the “social overload” dimension, we found that it was not affected. These results corroborate a previous study [37] on Latin American culture that highlighted the priority of help from friends and family and are probably related to the psychosocial coping of older people with diabetes. The period of the COVID-19 pandemic appears to have alleviated the social burden of older people with diabetes [38].

Regarding the “sexual functioning” dimension, we found that it was also not affected. This result differs from studies carried out with older people in Brazil [38] and Chile [39], which showed that older people with diabetes were negatively impacted during the pandemic. This result deserves attention in educational programs on diabetes that address sexual life, as it is a good strategy to facilitate the approach to aspects related to DM in sexual life [36]. Furthermore, a study carried out with older people showed that attention and treatment for sexual problems improves quality of life [37].

On the other hand, the “anxiety and worry” dimension was the most affected. This result corroborates international studies carried out in Nepal [40] and Thailand [41]. In Brazil, a study [38] carried out with older people reported worsening in this dimension, as evidenced by the loss of vitality and mobility.

The items “having diabetes” and “diabetes in general” were the most negatively impacted, which may be related to low education [36] and is similar to a result found in Mexico [42]. In this sense, it is necessary to draw up a care plan by the multidisciplinary team that provides care to older people with diabetes with the aims of demystifying the diagnosis of DM and informing them about the importance of family integration in the new lifestyle with a view to achieve an improvement in their quality of life.