267-OR: Diabetes, COVID-19, and All-Cause Mortality among People with Diabetes during the COVID-Pandemic in Minnesota: Population-Based Study

People with diabetes have been profoundly impacted by the COVID-pandemic. Diabetes and its comorbidities are strong risk factors for severe, including fatal, COVID-disease. People with diabetes may also have limited or delayed routine and non-emergent medical services, potentially increasing their risk of death from causes unrelated to COVID-19. Granular population-level data on rates, causes, and places (i.e. home vs. hospital) of death among people with diabetes during the COVID-pandemic is scarce. We examined Minnesota death certificates from 2020 (COVID-year) and 2018-20 (comparator years) among people with diabetes to compare changes in population-adjusted rates of diabetes-specific mortality (diabetes as a primary cause of death) , and all-cause and other disease-specific mortality (other primary causes with diabetes as a contributing cause of death) . We also assessed COVID-mortality (COVID-as a primary cause and diabetes as a contributing cause) . Analyses were adjusted for multiple comparisons using the false discovery rate correction. COVID-accounted for 246 deaths per 100,000 people with diabetes. There was no significant change in diabetes-specific mortality from 2018-20to 2020 (328 to 353 per 100,000; 2020 vs. 2018-20IRR 1.[95% CI 1.01-1.15]; p=0.08) . All-cause mortality among people with diabetes increased from 1,484 to 1,922 per 100,000 (IRR 1.30 [95% CI 1.26-1.33]; p<0.001) , while non-COVID mortality among increased from 1,484 to 1,675 per 100,000 (IRR 1.13 [95% CI 1.10-1.16]; p<0.001) . Deaths for cardiovascular diseases, cancers, and infectious diseases (not including COVID-19) also increased significantly, suggesting that people may have deferred care for these conditions with deadly consequences. Our findings underscore the need for uninterrupted comprehensive care for people living with diabetes to ensure that access for acute and chronic health concerns remains prioritized.