We investigated the impact of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the management of endocrine and metabolic disorders in Japan. We conducted a cross-sectional nationwide questionnaire survey targeting board-certified endocrinologists under the auspices of the Japan Endocrine Society. The questionnaire consisted of multiple-choice questions and open-ended responses. Out of approximately 2,700 specialists, 528 (19.5%) opted to participate, suggesting a high level of interest in COVID-19 management among endocrinologists. The study found that almost half of participants had encountered cases of endocrine and metabolic disorders following COVID-19 infection or vaccination. Conditions related to thyroid diseases, glucose metabolism disorders/diabetes, and hypothalamic-pituitary disorders were particularly prevalent. Diabetes and obesity were identified as having high rates of severe cases or fatalities due to COVID-19. The study also highlighted challenges in routine diagnosis and treatment, emphasizing the potential benefits of combining remote consultations with in-person visits to optimize the frequency of examinations and check-ups during infectious disease outbreak which disrupts access to healthcare providers. The insights obtained from this survey are expected to contribute to ensuring appropriate healthcare provision for patients with endocrine and metabolic disorders by using flexible consultation formats, particularly even in the conditions where medical access may be limited due to future outbreaks of emerging or re-emerging infectious diseases.

我们调查了 2019 年冠状病毒病 (COVID-19) 大流行对日本内分泌和代谢紊乱管理的影响。我们在日本内分泌学会的赞助下，针对获得委员会认证的内分泌科医生进行了一项全国范围的横断面问卷调查。调查问卷由多项选择题和开放式回答组成。在大约 2,700 名专家中，有 528 名 (19.5%) 选择参加，这表明内分泌科医生对 COVID-19 管理非常感兴趣。研究发现，近一半的参与者在感染 COVID-19 或接种疫苗后遇到过内分泌和代谢紊乱的病例。与甲状腺疾病、葡萄糖代谢紊乱/糖尿病和下丘脑-垂体疾病相关的疾病尤其普遍。糖尿病和肥胖症被认为是因 COVID-19 导致重症病例或死亡的高比例。该研究还强调了常规诊断和治疗中的挑战，强调了将远程咨​​询与亲自就诊相结合的潜在好处，以优化传染病爆发期间检查和检查的频率，因为传染病爆发会扰乱医疗服务提供者的服务。从这项调查中获得的见解预计将有助于通过使用灵活的咨询形式，确保为内分泌和代谢紊乱患者提供适当的医疗服务，特别是在医疗服务可能因未来新发或重新出现的传染病爆发而受到限制的情况下疾病。