Diabetes and COVID-19 in Congolese patients.

BACKGROUND: The global pandemic Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) due to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is reported to be potentially severe in patients with morbid conditions. One common reported comorbidities is diabetes. We aimed in this study to precise the clinical characteristics and outcomes in a series of congolese diabetic patients affected by COVID-19 infection. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectely studied from 256 COVID-19 patients, a cohort of 30 persons with previously known diabetes. The glycaemia controls have been obtained by plasma glucose assay. All patients have been tested positive to SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR method. RESULTS: The COVID-19 diabetic patients represented 11,7% of all COVID-19 patients with confidence interval of 95% [7,77-15,65]. Older individuals and male sex were predominent. Dyspnea and sauration of oxygen < 90 were significatives and added risk factors were noted in 63.3% of patients, particulary hyperglycaemia with hypertension or obesity. The mortality rate at the percentage of 36.7% was more prevalent in patients with added comorbidities (30%) versus without comorbidities (6.7%). CONCLUSION: Congolese COVID-19 diabetic patients of male sex and older age exhibiting arterial hypertension and obesity are the most exposed to severe COVID-19 and increasead mortality rate.

[Diabetic ketoacidosis in children: epidemiological and prognostic aspects]. / Acidocétose diabétique chez l'enfant: aspects épidémiologiques et pronostiques.

INTRODUCTION: In Congo, data on diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in children are old and rare. This study aims to describe the sociodemographic features of DKA and to identify risk factors for mortality. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted an analytical study on DKA in childred at the University Hospital in Brazzaville over the period from January 2013 to June 2016. We examined the socio-demographic, clinical, paraclinical and evolutionary variables. Chi-Square Test, Fisher's exact test and odds ratio were used in the univariate analysis process and logistic regression model in the multivariate analysis. RESULTS: Out of 172 children hospitalized with diabetes 55 (31%) were hospitalized with ketoacidosis. They were girls (33; 60%) with an average age of 11.1± 4.9 years (ranging from 1 months to 17 years), 61.8% of parents came from low socioeconomic status. Ketoacidosis was the revealing symptom in 67.2 % of cases. The diagnosis made before hospitalization was wrong (50%). The triggering factor was often an infection (52.7%). Mortality rate was 12.7%. The risk factors for mortality in the univariate analysis were: age < 5 years (p=0,000006), average consultation time higher than 7 days (p= 0.001), severe dehydration (p = 0.0006), hemodynamic disorders (p= 0.0006), severe undernutrition (p= 0.02), Glasgow Coma Scale < 9 (p= 0.007) and diarrhea (p= 0.001). CONCLUSION: The importance and the seriousness of ketoacidosis impose preventive measures based on awareness, information and education campaigns as well as on the management of risk factors for mortality.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Parents Facing Child and Adolescent Obesity in Brazzaville, Congo.

The study aimed to assess obesity-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices of parents when facing child and adolescent obesity in order to improve the quality of care. A case-control study was conducted from February 1 to July 1, 2013. The study compared parents of obese school children (group 1 or cases; n = 254) and those school children without obesity (group 2 or controls; n = 254). These children were drawn from public and private primary schools of Brazzaville (Congo). Obesity-related knowledge was satisfactory in 83.5% of the cases, attitudes were correct in 29% of the cases, and the practices good in 25.6% of the cases. The parents' obesity-related knowledge was satisfactory when the socioeconomic level of the family was high (P < .02), the mothers' educational level greater than primary (P < .001), and the fathers' educational level was greater than primary (P < 10-4). The same observation was obtained with obesity-related attitudes and practices of the parents when correct. This influence remained after the adaptation of fathers' educational level. In conclusion, the disease-related knowledge of parents can be considered satisfactory in the majority of the cases; however, obesity-related attitudes and practices remain incorrect in most of the cases.

[Thyroid disorders in the Brazzaville Teaching Hospital]. / La pathologie thyroïdienne au Centre hospitalier universitaire de Brazzaville.

The authors report their experience with thyroid disorders. Between January 1994 and December 2003, a total of 567 patients (sex ratio: 1/20, men to women) with thyroid disease were examined in the endocrine and metabolic department of the Brazzaville Teaching Hospital. Their mean age was 43 years. 333 (58.7%) had a simple goiter, 118 (20.8%) hyperthyroidism, most often related to Graves' disease (60.8%). Other disorders included multinodular goiters (19.2%), toxic adenoma (7.1%) and thyroiditis (13.8%). Hypothyroidism was identified in 7.4% of cases, mainly following thyroid surgery. Thyroid cancer was rare (4 cases).

[Ketoacidosis in children and teenagers in Congo]. / Acidocétose chez l'enfant et l'adolescent au Congo.

Diabetes mellitus is frequent in African children and adolescents. Its treatment faces some problems and complications. Ketoacidosis is among the main complications and its prognosis is bad. This retrospective study reports 93 cases of young patients observed over 10 years. It aims at presenting the characteristics of ketoacidosis in Brazzaville. The results of this study have reported ketoacidosis in 79.3% of the cases. Stopping the treatment (48.1%) and infections (28.6%) were the main factors. In 18.3% of the cases, the disease started by ketoacidosis. Despite the high mortality rate (18.2%), a favourable evolution was observed in 83.3% of the cases. It is the first cause of death in children suffering Diabetes mellitus in the Department for diabetes mellitus and endocrine diseases at Brazzaville University Hospital. Health education of both parents and children, a qualified personnel should help reduce the frequency of this complication.