Association between biomarkers of inflammation and dyslipidemia in drug resistant tuberculosis in Uganda.

BACKGROUND: Active tuberculosis (TB) significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the association between inflammation biomarkers and dyslipidemia in patients with drug-resistant TB (DR-TB). METHODS: This was a secondary analysis of data from a cross-sectional multi-center study in Uganda conducted 2021. Participants underwent anthropometric measurements and laboratory tests included a lipid profile, full haemogram and serology for HIV infection. Dyslipidemia was defined as total cholesterol > 5.0 mmol/l and/or low-density lipoprotein cholesterol > 4.14 mmol/l, and/or triglycerides (TG) ≥ 1.7 mmol/l, and/or high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) < 1.03 mmol/l for men and < 1.29 mmol/l for women. Biomarkers of inflammation were leukocyte, neutrophil, lymphocyte, monocyte, and platelet counts, as well as neutrophil/lymphocyte (NLR), platelet/lymphocyte, and lymphocyte/monocyte (LMR) ratios, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), and the systemic immune inflammation index (SII) (neutrophil × platelet/lymphocyte). Modified Poisson Regression analysis was used for determining the association of the biomarkers and dyslipidemia. RESULTS: Of 171 participants, 118 (69.0%) were co-infected with HIV. The prevalence of dyslipidemia was 70.2% (120/171) with low HDL-c (40.4%, 69/171) and hypertriglyceridemia (22.5%, 38/169) being the most common components. Patients with dyslipidemia had significantly higher lymphocyte (P = 0.008), monocyte (P < 0.001), and platelet counts (P = 0.014) in addition to a lower MCV (P < 0.001) than those without dyslipidemia. Further, patients with dyslipidemia had lower leucocyte (P < 0.001) and neutrophil (P = 0.001) counts, NLR (P = 0.008), LMR (P = 0.006), and SII (P = 0.049). The MCV was inversely associated with low HDL-C (adjusted prevalence ratio (aPR) = 0.97, 95% CI 0.94-0.99, P = 0.023) but was positively associated with hypertriglyceridemia (aPR = 1.04, 95% CI 1.00-1.08, P = 0.052). CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with dyslipidemia exhibited elevated lymphocyte, monocyte, and platelet counts compared to those without. However, only MCV demonstrated an independent association with specific components of dyslipidemia. There is need for further scientific inquiry into the potential impact of dyslipidemia on red cell morphology and a pro-thrombotic state among patients with TB.

Time to blood pressure control and predictors among patients receiving integrated treatment for hypertension and HIV based on an adapted WHO HEARTS implementation strategy at a large urban HIV clinic in Uganda.

In this cohort study, we determined time to blood pressure (BP) control and its predictors among hypertensive PLHIV enrolled in integrated hypertension-HIV care based on the World Health Organization (WHO) HEARTS strategy at Mulago Immunosuppression Clinic in Uganda. From August 2019 to March 2020, we enrolled hypertensive PLHIV aged ≥ 18 years and initiated Amlodipine 5 mg mono-therapy for BP (140-159)/(90-99) mmHg or Amlodipine 5 mg/Valsartan 80 mg duo-therapy for BP ≥ 160/90 mmHg. Patients were followed with a treatment escalation plan until BP control, defined as BP < 140/90 mmHg. We used Cox proportional hazards models to identify predictors of time to BP control. Of 877 PLHIV enrolled (mean age 50.4 years, 62.1% female), 30% received mono-therapy and 70% received duo-therapy. In the monotherapy group, 66%, 88% and 96% attained BP control in the first, second and third months, respectively. For patients on duo-therapy, 56%, 83%, 88% and 90% achieved BP control in the first, second, third, and fourth months, respectively. In adjusted Cox proportional hazard analysis, higher systolic BP (aHR 0.995, 95% CI 0.989-0.999) and baseline ART tenofovir/lamivudine/efavirenz (aHR 0.764, 95% CI 0.637-0.917) were associated with longer time to BP control, while being on ART for >10 years was associated with a shorter time to BP control (aHR 1.456, 95% CI 1.126-1.883). The WHO HEARTS strategy was effective at achieving timely BP control among PLHIV. Additionally, monotherapy anti-hypertensive treatment for stage I hypertension is a viable option to achieve BP control and limit pill burden in resource limited HIV care settings.

Should dolutegravir always be withheld in people with HIV on dolutegravir with incident diabetes mellitus? a case report.

Dolutegravir (DTG), an integrase strand transfer inhibitor is currently the recommended first and second line anti-retroviral therapy (ART) anchor agent by the World Health Organization due to its favorable side effect profile, high efficacy and genetic barrier to resistance.Despite its very good side effect profile, there have been multiple case reports of ART experienced patients developing hyperglycemia within weeks to a few months after switching to DTG preceded by weight loss. At population level, however, DTG as well as other integrase inhibitors have been demonstrated to have a reduced risk of incident diabetes mellitus (T2DM) compared to other HIV drug classes.Following multiple similar reports of accelerated hyperglycemia in Uganda during the first pilot year of DTG use, the Uganda Ministry of Health recommended withholding dolutegravir in all patients who develop diabetes. Whether this recommendation should be applied to all patients with incident T2DM remains to be demonstrated.We present a clinical case of an HIV positive ART naïve man who was diagnosed with T2DM after 36 weeks on DTG. We describe changes in blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin, insulin resistance and pancreatic beta cell function before and after withholding DTG. We demonstrated that he was phenotypically different from the reported cases of accelerated hyperglycemia and he continued to have worsening insulin resistance despite withholding DTG. His blood glucose improved with dietary T2DM management. It is possible he had an inherent risk of developing T2DM independent of his exposure to DTG. This put in question whether DTG should universally be withheld in PLHIV with incident T2DM in Uganda.

Should dolutegravir always be withheld in people with HIV on dolutegravir with incident diabetes mellitus? A case report.

Dolutegravir (DTG), an integrase strand transfer inhibitor is currently the recommended first and second line anti-retroviral therapy (ART) anchor agent by the World Health Organization. This followed widespread reports of primary resistance to non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors. Despite its very good side effect profile, there have been multiple case reports of ART experienced patients developing hyperglycemia within weeks to a few months after switching to DTG preceded by weight loss. At population level, however, dolutegravir as well as other integrase inhibitors have been demonstrated to have a reduced risk of incident diabetes mellitus (T2DM) compared to other HIV drug classes. Following multiple similar reports of accelerated hyperglycemia in Uganda during the first pilot year of DTG use, the Uganda Ministry of Health recommended withholding dolutegravir in all patients who develop diabetes. Whether this recommendation should be applied to all patients with incident T2DM remains to be demonstrated. We present a clinical case of an HIV positive ART naïve man who was diagnosed with T2DM after 36 weeks on dolutegravir. We describe changes in blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin, insulin resistance and pancreatic beta cell function before and after withholding DTG. We demonstrated that he was phenotypically different from the reported cases of accelerated hyperglycemia and he continued to have worsening insulin resistance despite withholding DTG. His blood glucose improved with dietary T2DM management. It is possible he had an inherent risk of developing T2DM independent of his exposure to DTG. This put in question whether DTG should universally be withheld in PLHIV with incident T2DM in Uganda.

Dolutegravir use over 48 weeks is not associated with worsening insulin resistance and pancreatic beta cell function in a cohort of HIV-infected Ugandan adults.

BACKGROUND: The Uganda Ministry of Health issued restrictive guidelines on the use of dolutegravir (DTG) in persons stratified to have a heightened risk of diabetes mellitus. This followed multiple reports of persons with HIV (PWH) presenting with accelerated hyperglycemia after a few weeks to months of exposure to DTG. Having demonstrated a low incidence of diabetes mellitus and improving blood glucose trajectories in a cohort of ART naïve Ugandan PWH on DTG, we sought to determine whether the observed improvement in blood glucose did not mask background compensated insulin resistance. METHODS: In this analysis, 63 patients underwent serial oral glucose tolerance tests over 48 weeks. Using fasting serum insulin and glucose, we calculated insulin resistance and pancreatic beta cell function by homeostatic modelling (HOMA IR and HOMA%ß respectively). Absolute mean changes between baseline and post-baseline blood glucose, pancreatic beta cell function and insulin resistance were computed by subtracting each post-baseline value from the baseline value and compared using student t-test. Multiple linear regression models were used to determine the factors associated with changes in pancreatic beta cell function and insulin resistance. RESULTS: Of the 63 participants, 37 (58%) were female. Median age was 31 (IQR: 28-37). Despite a trend towards an initial increase in both HOMA IR and HOMA%ß at 12 weeks followed by a decline through 36 weeks to 48 weeks, the HOMA IR and HOMA%ß at 48 weeks were not significantly different from baseline i.e. (difference in mean HOMA IR from baseline: 0.14, 95%CI: -0.46, 0.733, p = 0.648) and (difference in mean HOMA %ß from baseline: 6.7, 95%CI: -13.4, 26.8, p = 0.506) respectively. CONCLUSION: We demonstrated insignificant changes in both insulin resistance and pancreatic beta cell function in clinically stable young adult Ugandan PWH on dolutegravir for 48 weeks. We add to the body of evidence demonstrating glucose metabolic safety of dolutegravir in ART naïve patients. Ugandan guidelines should reconsider restricting DTG initiation in ART naive adults at high risk for diabetes.

Blood glucose outcomes of anti-retroviral therapy naïve Ugandan people with HIV with pre-diabetes mellitus initiated on dolutegravir for 48 weeks.

Background: The Uganda ministry of Health recommends frequent blood glucose monitoring for the first six months on dolutegravir, in people with HIV (PWH) having pre-diabetes mellitus (pre-DM). We sought to determine if indeed PWH with pre-diabetes started on dolutegravir had worse blood glucose outcomes at 48 weeks compared to those with normal blood glucose. Methods: In this matched cohort study, we compared 44 PWH with pre-DM and 88 PWH with normal blood glucose at baseline. The primary outcome was change in mean fasting blood glucose (FBG) from baseline to week 48 and 2-hour blood glucose (2hBG) from baseline to week 36 compared between the two groups. Results: There was significant increase in FBG in PWH with normal blood glucose (mean change in FBG(FBG): 3.9mg/dl, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): (2.2, 5.7), p value (p) = < 0.0001) and decrease in those with pre-DM (FBG: -6.1mg/dl, 95%CI (-9.1, -3.2), p = < 0.0001) at 48 weeks. 2hBG at 36 weeks was significantly lower than at baseline in both groups with the magnitude of reduction larger in those with pre-DM at 12 weeks (adjusted differences in mean drop in 2hBG (a2hBG): -19.69mg/dl, 95%CI (-30.19, -9.19), p = < 0.0001) and 36 weeks (a2hBG: -19.97mg/dl, 95%CI (-30.56, -9.39), p = < 0.0001). Conclusion: We demonstrated that Ugandan ART naïve PWH with pre-diabetes at enrollment have consistent improvement in both fasting blood glucose and glucose tolerance over 48 weeks on dolutegravir. Intensified blood glucose monitoring of these patients in the first six months of dolutegravir may be unnecessary.

Dolutegravir use over 48 weeks is not associated with worsening insulin resistance and pancreatic beta cell function in a cohort of HIV-infected Ugandan adults.

Background The Uganda Ministry of Health issued restrictive guidelines on the use of dolutegravir (DTG) in persons stratified to have a heightened risk of diabetes mellitus. This followed multiple reports of persons with HIV (PWH) presenting with accelerated hyperglycemia after a few weeks to months of exposure to DTG. Having demonstrated a low incidence of diabetes mellitus and improving blood glucose trajectories in a cohort of ART naïve Ugandan PWH on DTG, we sought to determine whether the observed improvement in blood glucose did not mask background compensated insulin resistance. Methods In this analysis, 63 patients underwent serial oral glucose tolerance tests over 48 weeks. Using fasting serum insulin and glucose, we calculated insulin resistance and pancreatic beta cell function by homeostatic modelling (HOMA IR and HOMA%ß respectively). Absolute mean changes between baseline and post-baseline blood glucose, pancreatic beta cell function and insulin resistance were computed by subtracting each post-baseline value from the baseline value and compared using student t-test. Multiple linear regression models were used to determine the factors associated with changes in pancreatic beta cell function and insulin resistance. Results Of the 63 participants, 37 (58%) were female. Median age was 31 (IQR: 28-37). Despite a trend towards an initial increase in both HOMA IR and HOMA%ß at 12 weeks followed by a decline through 36 weeks to 48 weeks, the HOMA IR and HOMA%ß at 48 weeks were not significantly different from baseline i.e. (difference in mean HOMA IR from baseline: 0.14, 95%CI: -0.46, 0.733, p = 0.648) and (difference in mean HOMA %ß from baseline: 6.7, 95%CI: -13.4, 26.8, p = 0.506) respectively.

Prevalence of Cardiometabolic Disease Risk Factors in People With HIV Initiating Antiretroviral Therapy at a High-Volume HIV Clinic in Kampala, Uganda.

Background: Cardiometabolic diseases are a leading cause of HIV-related morbidity and mortality, yet routine screening is not undertaken in high-burden countries. We aimed to assess the prevalence and risk factors of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components in adult Ugandan people with HIV (PWH) initiating dolutegravir-based antiretroviral therapy (ART). Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study using baseline sociodemographic and clinical data of PWH aged ≥18 years enrolled in the Glucose metabolism changes in Ugandan HIV patients on Dolutegravir (GLUMED) study from January to October 2021. MetS was defined as having ≥3 of the following: abdominal obesity, hypertension (HTN), hyperglycemia, elevated triglycerides, and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Multiple logistic regression was used to assess associations between potential risk factors and MetS and its components. Results: Three hundred nine PWH were analyzed (100% ART-naïve, 59.2% female, median age 31 years, and median CD4 count 318 cells/mm3). The prevalence of MetS was 13.9%. The most common cardiometabolic condition was dyslipidemia (93.6%), followed by abdominal obesity (34.0%), hyperglycemia (18.4%), and HTN (8.1%). In adjusted analysis, MetS was associated with age >40 years (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 3.33; 95% CI, 1.45-7.67) and CD4 count >200 cells/mm3 (aOR, 3.79; 95% CI, 1.23-11.63). HTN was associated with age >40 years (aOR, 2.96; 95% CI, 1.32-6.64), and dyslipidemia was associated with urban residence (aOR, 4.99; 95% CI, 1.35-18.53). Conclusions: Cardiometabolic risk factors were common in this young Ugandan cohort of PWH initiating dolutegravir-based ART, underscoring the need for programmatic implementation of surveillance and management of comorbidities in Uganda and similar settings.

Blood glucose trajectories and incidence of diabetes mellitus in Ugandan people living with HIV initiated on dolutegravir.

BACKGROUND: Following reports of anti-retroviral therapy (ART) experienced Ugandan people living with HIV (PLHIV) presenting with diabetic ketoacidosis weeks to months following a switch to dolutegravir (DTG), the Uganda Ministry of Health recommended withholding DTG in both ART naïve and experienced PLHIV with diabetes mellitus (T2DM), as well as 3-monthly blood glucose monitoring for patients with T2DM risk factors. We sought to determine if the risk of T2DM is indeed heightened in nondiabetic ART naïve Ugandan PLHIV over the first 48 weeks on DTG. METHODS: Between January and October 2021, 243 PLHIV without T2DM were initiated on DTG based ART for 48 weeks. Two-hour oral glucose tolerance tests (2-h OGTT) were performed at baseline, 12, and 36 weeks; fasting blood glucose (FBG) was measured at 24 and 48 weeks. The primary outcome was the incidence of T2DM. Secondary outcomes included: incidence of pre-Diabetes Mellitus (pre-DM), median change in FBG from baseline to week 48 and 2-h blood glucose (2hBG) from baseline to week 36. Linear regression models were used to determine adjusted differences in FBG and 2hBG from baseline to weeks 48 and 36 respectively. RESULTS: The incidence of T2DM was 4 cases per 1000 PY (1/243) and pre-DM, 240 cases per 1000 person years (PY) (54/243). There was a significant increase in FBG from baseline to week 48 [median change from baseline (FBG): 3.6 mg/dl, interquartile range (IQR): - 3.6, 7.2, p-value (p) = 0.005] and significant reduction in 2hBG (2hBG: - 7.26 mg/dl, IQR: - 21.6, 14.4, p = 0.024) at week 36. A high CD4 count and increased waist circumference were associated with 2hBG increase at week 36. CONCLUSION: We demonstrated a low incidence of T2DM in Ugandan ART-naïve patients receiving DTG. We also demonstrated that longitudinal changes in BG were independent of conventional risk factors of T2DM in the first 48 weeks of therapy. Restricting the use of dolutegravir in Ugandan ART naïve patients perceived to be high risk for diabetes mellitus may be unwarranted.

Association between integrase strand transfer inhibitor use with insulin resistance and incident diabetes mellitus in persons living with HIV: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Whether integrase strand transfer inhibitors (INSTIs) are associated with a higher risk of incident type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) than other antiretroviral therapies (ART) needs to be established.MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, and ClinicalTrials.gov registries were searched for studies published between 1 January 2000 and 15 June 2022. Eligible studies reported incident DM or mean changes in insulin resistance measured by Homeostatic Model for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) in patients on INSTIs compared with other ARTs. We performed random-effects meta-analyses to obtain pooled relative risks (RRs) with 95% CIs.A total of 16 studies were pooled: 13 studies meta-analyzed for incident diabetes with a patient population of 72 404 and 3 for changes in HOMA-IR. INSTI therapy was associated with a lower risk of incident diabetes in 13 studies (RR 0.80, 95% CI 0.67 to 0.96, I2=29%), of which 8 randomized controlled trials demonstrated a 22% reduced risk (RR 0.88, 95% CI 0.81 to 0.96, I2=0%). INSTIs had a lower risk compared with non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (RR 0.75, 95% CI 0.63 to 0.89, I2=0%) but similar to protease inhibitor-based therapy (RR 0.78, 95% CI 0.61 to 1.01, I2=27%). The risk was lower in studies with longer follow-up (RR 0.70, 95% CI 0.53 to 0.94, I2=24%) and among ART-naïve patients (RR 0.78, 95% CI 0.65 to 0.94, I2=3%) but increased in African populations (RR 2.99, 95% CI 2.53 to 3.54, I2=0%).In conclusion, exposure to INSTIs was not associated with increased risk of DM, except in the African population. Stratified analyses suggested reduced risk among ART-naïve patients and studies with longer follow-up.International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) registration number: CRD42021273040.

A quality improvement project assessing a new mode of lecture delivery to improve postgraduate clinical exposure time in the Department of Internal Medicine, Makerere University, Uganda.

BACKGROUND: The Masters in Internal Medicine at the Makerere University College of Health Sciences is based on a semester system with a blend of lectures and clinical work. The programme runs for 3 years with didactic lectures set mostly for mornings and clinical care thereafter. Anecdotal reports from attending physicians in the department highlighted clinical work time interruption by didactic lectures which was thought to limit postgraduate (PG) students' clinical work time. We set out to evaluate the clinical learning environment and explore avenues to optimise clinical exposure time. METHODS: Baseline data in form of time logs documenting first-year PG activities was collected by intern doctors without the awareness of the PGs. In addition, a PG and attending physician survey on PG ward performance was carried out. These data informed a root cause analysis from which an intervention to change the mode of lecture delivery from daily lecturers across the semester to a set of block lectures was undertaken. Postimplementation time logs and survey data were compared with the pre-intervention data. RESULTS: Post-intervention, during a period of 50 ward round observations, PGs missed 3/50 (6%) ward rounds as compared with 10/50 (20%) pre-intervention. PGs arrived on wards before attending physicians 18/24 (75%) times post-intervention and on average had 59 min to prepare for ward rounds as compared with 5/26 (19.2%) times and 30 min, respectively, pre-intervention. Both PGs and physicians believed PGs had enough time for patient care post-intervention (17/17 (100%) vs 4/17 (23.5%) and 7/8 (87.5%) vs 2/8 (25%)), respectively. CONCLUSION: The baseline data collected confirmed the anecdotal reports and a change to a block week lecture system led to improvements in PGs' clinical work time and both resident and physician approvals of PG clinical work.

Association between integrase strand transfer inhibitor (INSTIs) use with insulin resistance and incident diabetes mellitus in persons living with HIV: A systematic review and meta-analysis protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Poeple living with HIV have higher prevalence of diabetes mellitus and metabolic perturbations compared to non-HIV populations. Diabetes and metabolic syndrome co-morbidities add significant burden to HIV care. Currently, WHO recommends integrase strand transfer inhibitors (INSTIs) as the first or second line therapy in people with HIV due to overall good tolerability and safety profile. However, whether INSTI use increases the risk of incident diabetes (with or without metabolic syndrome) compared to other anti-retroviral therapies (ART) is controversial. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we aim to examine this risk in HIV-positive populations receiving INSTIs compared to other ART regimens (not containing INSTIs). METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The study will be reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement and the Meta-analysis Of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) guidelines. This protocol adheres to the Standard Protocol Items for reporting systematic reviews and meta-analyses checklist. Eligibility criteria will be original peer-reviewed published articles and conference abstracts with no language or geographical restriction; that report the ocurrence of diabetes mellitus as a discrete outcome or part of metabolic syndrome, in adult PLWHIV receiving INSTIs compared to other ART regimens. PubMed/ Medline, Web of Science, Embase and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews will be searched from 1st- January-2000 to 31st-January-2022. Per our a priori, screening, inclusion and data extraction will be conducted separately by two investigators, and a senior researcher will be consulted in case of disagreement. The quality of included studies will be assessed by the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) for cohort and case-control studies and the revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool (ROB2) for randomized controlled trials. The quantitative synthesis of the study outcomes will be explored in different subgroups and sensitivity analyses. Meta regression will also be performed to further test the predictors of the outcome. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval is waived as the study is a review of published litterature. The analyses will be presented in conferences and published as a scientific article. TRIAL REGISTRARTION: PROSPERO registration number is; CRD42021273040.

Adoption of evidence-informed guidelines in prescribing protease inhibitors for HIV-Tuberculosis co-infected patients on rifampicin and effects on HIV treatment outcomes in Uganda.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to determine how emerging evidence over the past decade informed how Ugandan HIV clinicians prescribed protease inhibitors (PIs) in HIV patients on rifampicin-based tuberculosis (TB) treatment and how this affected HIV treatment outcomes. METHODS: We reviewed clinical records of HIV patients aged 13 years and above, treated with rifampicin-based TB treatment while on PIs between1st-January -2013 and 30th-September-2018 from twelve public HIV clinics in Uganda. Appropriate PI prescription during rifampicin-based TB treatment was defined as; prescribing doubled dose lopinavir/ritonavir- (LPV/r 800/200 mg twice daily) and inappropriate PI prescription as prescribing standard dose LPV/r or atazanavir/ritonavir (ATV/r). RESULTS: Of the 602 patients who were on both PIs and rifampicin, 103 patients (17.1% (95% CI: 14.3-20.34)) received an appropriate PI prescription. There were no significant differences in the two-year mortality (4.8 vs. 5.7%, P = 0.318), loss to follow up (23.8 vs. 18.9%, P = 0.318) and one-year post TB treatment virologic failure rates (31.6 vs. 30.7%, P = 0.471) between patients that had an appropriate PI prescription and those that did not. However, more patients on double dose LPV/r had missed anti-retroviral therapy (ART) days (35.9 vs 21%, P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: We conclude that despite availability of clinical evidence, double dosing LPV/r in patients receiving rifampicin-based TB treatment is low in Uganda's public HIV clinics but this does not seem to affect patient survival and viral suppression.

Utility of albumin to creatinine ratio in screening for microalbuminuria among newly diagnosed diabetic patients in Uganda: a cross sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and factors associated with microalbuminuria among newly diagnosed diabetic patients in Mulago National Referral Hospital, Uganda. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study conducted between June 2014 and January 2015, we collected information on patients' socio-demographics, biophysical profile, blood pressure, biochemical testing and echocardiographic findings using a pre-tested questionnaire. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the association of several factors with microalbuminuria. RESULTS: Of the 175 patients recruited, males were 90(51.4%) and the mean age was 46±15 years. Majority of patients had type 2 DM 140 (80.0%) and the rest had type 1 DM 35 (20.0%). Mean glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C) was 13.9±5.3%. Mean duration of diabetes was 2 months. Prevalence of microalbuminuria was 47.4 % (95% CI: 40.0%-54.9%) overall. Pregnancy was associated with microalbuminuria (OR7.74[95%CI.1.01-76.47] P=0.050) while mild and moderate physical activity at work were inversely associated with microalbuminuria respectively (OR0.08[95%CI0.01-0.95] P=0.046) and (OR0.07[95%CI0.01-0.77] P=0.030). CONCLUSION: Prevalence of microalbuminuria was high in this group. Physical activity at work may be protective against microalbuminuria and this calls for longitudinal studies. Early detection and management of microalbuminuria in diabetics may slow progression to overt diabetic nephropathy (DN).