Diabetes care in Kilimanjaro region: clinical presentation and problems of patients of the diabetes clinic at the regional referral hospital-an inventory before structured intervention.

BACKGROUND: In order to improve care for diabetic patients in a developing country at the regional referral hospital for the Northern zone of Tanzania, a specialized clinic was established in November 1996. AIM: The aim of this study was to provide a situational analysis about the problems of the diabetic patient population treated at the hospital. For all patients who registered at the clinic a questionnaire was completed about personal data, diabetes history, symptoms, treatment, eating habits and psycho-social aspects of the disease. Results from patients who registered between November 1996 and December 1998 were analysed. RESULTS: Data from 474 diabetic patients (46% female) were obtained. Mean age was 53.75 (+/- 16; range 4-88 years), 15% were classified Type 1, 75% Type 2 and 10% remained unclassified. A body mass index of < 25 was recorded in > 80% of the Type 1 and approx. 50% of the Type 2 patients. Among complications, numbness of the legs was mentioned by 44%, hypertension was diagnosed in about 25%, retinopathy in 14%, foot ulcers in 10% and nephropathy in 7.5% of the patients. About 50% of the patients saw their disease as a big physical and psychological problem. Monthly cost for an average insulin-treated patient equalled around 25% of the minimal wage. CONCLUSION: Diabetes care in a developing country needs to address the specific background of the patient population, their needs, the medical problems and the social constraints. Active participation of the patients can help to overcome some of the difficulties.

Genetic susceptibility for insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in Caucasians revisited: the importance of diabetes registries in disclosing interactions between HLA-DQ- and insulin gene-linked risk. Belgian Diabetes Registry.

Whether genetic susceptibility for insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) at the 5' insulin gene polymorphic region (5' INS) interacts with human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DQ-linked disease risk and whether it is associated with autoantibody formation is presently controversial. Diabetes registries allow more systematic reassessment of these questions. Two hundred and ninety-six Caucasian IDDM patients were recruited by the Belgian Diabetes Registry and sampled at disease onset, together with 195 ethnically matched control subjects. 5'INS genotypes were determined by Southern blotting, HLA-DQ by allele-specific oligotyping, and autoantibodies by validated immunoassays. The 5' INS 1/1 genotype was more prevalent in patients than in controls [relative risk (RR) = 2.3; P < 10(-4)]. Regardless of age at onset, the 5' INS 1/1 genotype occurred less frequently in patients with the high-risk genotype DQA1*0301-DQB1*0302/DQA1*0501-DQB1*0201 than in patients without it (P < 0.04). The RR associated with this high-risk HLA-DQ genotype (24.9; P < 10(-6)) was not affected by the presence or absence of the 5' INS 1/1 genotype. Combined positivity for the 5' INS 1/1 genotype and for one of three other HLA-DQ genotypes associated with an intermediate risk for IDDM conferred an age-independent RR of 12.1 (P < 10(-4)). In the absence of the 5' INS 1/1 genotype, intermediate-risk HLA-DQ genotypes no longer conferred a significant risk (2.9; not significantly different from 1). In subjects carrying neutral, protective, or infrequent HLA-DQ genotypes, the overall RR for IDDM was significantly lower than 1 (0.2; P < 10(-6)) in the absence of the 5' INS 1/1 genotype but not in its presence (0.8; not significantly different from 1). The 5' INS 1/1 genotype was not preferentially associated with immune markers for IDDM. In conclusion, regardless of age at onset and the presence of autoantibodies, 5' INS polymorphisms contribute preferentially to IDDM susceptibility in subjects without the highest HLA-DQ-associated risk.