Roy William Mayega¹, Elizeus Rutebemberwa²

1. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Makerere University College of Health Sciences
2. Department of Health Policy, Planning and Management, School of Public Health, Makerere University College of Health Sciences

Abstract

Background: Our objective was to describe the clinical presentation of new diabetes patients in a rural hospital, to enhance clinical detection in low resource settings.

Methods: A case series assessment of 103 new diabetes patients consecutively enrolled at Iganga Hospital in rural Eastern Uganda was conducted. All underwent a basic clinical assessment through the clinic’s routine procedures.Following diagnosis, variables pertinent to the study (symptoms, blood pressure, anthropometry, and blood glucose) were secondarily abstracted from their clinical records.

Results: Fiftty two percent of new diabetes patients were female. The mean age was 49 years (SD=14.4). Two clinical symptoms were present in almost all new patients: Frequent urination (100%) and frequent thirst (79%). Moderately occurring symptoms (i.e. 25-50% of patients) included blurred vision, frequent eating and frequent sweating. The mean duration of symptoms was 1.4 years; 48% had high blood pressure while 46% were overweight.  Random blood sugar was normal for 25% of patients. The majority (71%) were classified as having ‘moderate illness’ at diagnosis. Severe illness was significantly lower among patients aged 40 or older compared to younger patients (OR 0.1; 95% CI 0.03-0.35).

Conclusion: Out-patients aged 40-65 years should be prioritised for early diabetes diagnosis and associated risk factors in this setting.

Keywords: Diabetes, clinical presentation, newly diagnosed, unrecognized disease.

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ahs.v18i3.29

Cite as: Mayega RW, Rutebemberwa E. Clinical presentation of newly diagnosed diabetes patients in a rural district hospital in Eastern Uganda. Afri Health Sci. 2018;18(3): 707-719. https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ahs.v18i3.29