Prevalence, Patterns, and Factors Associated with Peripheral Neuropathies among Diabetic Patients at Tertiary Hospital in the Kilimanjaro Region: Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study from North-Eastern Tanzania.

OBJECTIVE: Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is a common microvascular complication of diabetes mellitus (DM) and may progress to diabetic foot, which frequently leads to amputation and/or disability and death. Data is scanty on the burden of diabetic peripheral neuropathy in Tanzania. The aim of this study was to assess the burden of peripheral neuropathy, its severity, and the associated factors. METHODS: The study was a cross-sectional hospital-based study and was carried out from October 2017 to March 2018 among adolescent and adult patients attending Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center (KCMC) diabetes clinic. RESULTS: A total of 327 diabetic patients, females n=215 (65.7%) and males n=121 (34.3%), were included in the study. The mean age was 57.2 yrs. A total of 238 (72%) had type 2 and 89 (27.2%) had type1 DM. The prevalence of peripheral neuropathy was 72.2% of whom 55% were severe, 19% were moderate, and 26% were mild. The severity of neuropathy increased with the increase in age >40 years (p < 0.001) and increase in body mass index (p<0.001) and duration of diabetes; duration >7 years (p <0.006). The main associated factors were age >40 years, OR 2.8 (1.0-7.7), >60 years, OR 6.4 (2.3-18.2), obesity, OR 6.7 (0.9-27.7), and hypertension, OR 4.3 (2.2-8.2). CONCLUSION: More than half of the patients included in this study were found to have neuropathy, nearly half of whom presented with the severe form. The main risk factors were increasing age, increasing duration of diabetes, obesity, and hypertension. Diabetic peripheral neuropathy is underdiagnosed in northern Tanzania where screening for neuropathy is not routinely done.

Assessment of nutritional intake, body mass index and glycemic control in patients with type-2 diabetes from northern Tanzania.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Little information is available about the nutrition of people with diabetes from Africa. For the treatment and prevention of diabetes by nutrition, we have assessed the major local foods in a baseline study. METHODS: The staple foods and meal frequencies of 53 outpatients with type-2 diabetes were assessed in a 24-hour dietary recall based on a questionnaire at a diabetes clinic in northern Tanzania in November and December 1999. In addition, data on weight and height, casual blood glucose, urinary glucose and diabetes therapy were ascertained. RESULTS: 72% of the patients had a body mass index of > or =25 kg/m(2); 64% of patients had casual blood glucose levels of >7.8 mmol/l, 47% had >11.1 mmol/l, and most of them were treated by sulfonylureas or conventional insulin therapy. The test for urinary glucose highly correlated with the blood glucose values, and was positive in 59% of patients. 36% of the patients had < or =3 meals/day. The foods stated most frequently were stiff porridge, plantains, bread, rice, beef, milk, amaranth leaves, orange and sunflower oil. The main beverages were water, tea and milk. CONCLUSIONS: The baseline data obtained enable more precise dietary assessment and emphasize the need to collect more data on local food consumption in areas where pharmacological diabetes treatment is limited.