Prevalence of and predictive factors for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in Sudanese individuals with type 2 diabetes: is metabolic syndrome the culprit?

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease [NAFLD] is a common global chronic liver condition. The prevalence of NAFLD among individuals with type 2 diabetes is estimated to be as high as 75%. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of NAFLD among individuals with type 2 diabetes in Sudan. This was a cross-sectional hospital-based study, which was carried out at the Jabir Abu-Elizz diabetic centre in Khartoum; 167 outpatients with type 2 diabetes were enrolled. NAFLD was diagnosed based on ultrasound, following exclusion of significant alcohol intake and secondary causes of liver diseases. NAFLD was defined as hepatic steatosis in the absence of alcohol intake, medication, previous liver disease and negative results for the serological test for hepatitis B and C. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine independent risk factors for the development of NAFLD in individuals with type 2 diabetes. The number of female subjects was 89 [53.3%], and most subjects [145, 86.8%] were between the ages of 40 and 70 years. The overall prevalence of fatty liver among individuals with type 2 diabetes was found to be 50.3%. Age, duration of diabetes, hypertension and HbAlc levels appeared to have no impact on the prevalence of NAFLD. The possible predictors of NAFLD were overweight, obesity, central obesity, high triglyceride level and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol [HDL-c] level. A higher prevalence of NAFLD was observed in individuals with three components of the metabolic syndrome. NAFLD was observed in half of the diabetic population, and its occurrence correlates positively with metabolic syndrome risk factors

[ changing pattern of hospital admission to medical wards; burden of non-communicable diseases at a hospital in a developing country]

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the pattern of hospital admissions and patient outcomes in medical wards at Atbara Teaching Hospital in River Nile State, Sudan

Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted from August 2013 to July 2014 and included all patients admitted to medical wards at the Atbara Teaching Hospital during the study period. Morbidity and mortality data was obtained from medical records. Diseases were categorised using the World Health Organization's International Classification of Diseases [ICD] coding system

Results: A total of 2,614 patient records were analysed. The age group with the highest admissions was the 56-65-year-old age group [19.4%] and the majority of patients were admitted for one week or less [86.4%]. Non-communicable diseases constituted 71.8% of all cases. According to ICD classifications, patients were admitted most frequently due to infectious or parasitic diseases [19.7%], followed by diseases of the circulatory [16.4%], digestive [16.4%] and genito-urinary [13.8%] systems. The most common diseases were cardiovascular disease [16.4%], malaria [11.3%], gastritis/peptic ulcer disease [9.8%], urinary tract infections [7.2%] and diabetes mellitus [6.9%]. The mortality rate was 4.7%

Conclusion: The burden of non-communicable diseases was found to exceed that of communicable diseases among patients admitted to medical wards at the Atbara Teaching Hospital