RESUMEN
Very little is known about the diagnostic performance of the American Diabetes Association glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) cut-off of 6.5% in resource-limited settings. This study, conducted between February 2023 and May 2023, aimed to determine the optimal HbA1c cut-off for the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus by measuring HbA1c and fasting plasma glucose levels in 120 adults attending care at a tertiary hospital in Harare, Zimbabwe. The optimal HbA1c cut-off was 6.1% and glucose levels were strongly correlated with HbA1c values. The prevalence of diabetes mellitus was higher (28.3%) at our derived HbA1c cut-off than with the American Diabetes Association criterion (21.6%). What this study adds: This study highlights the need for population-specific cut-off HbA1c values in the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus.
RESUMEN
Cervical cancer is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in women in Zimbabwe. This is mainly due to the high prevalence of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes in the population. So far, few studies have been done that showed the presence of high-risk genital HPV genotypes such as 16, 18, 31, 33, 52, 58 and 70 in Zimbabwean women with cervical cancer. The prevalence of HPV DNA in women with cervical cancer has been shown to range from 63% to 98%. The high-risk HPV 16, 18, 31, 33 and 58 were the most common genotypes in all the studies. The introduction of the new HPV vaccines, HPV2 and HPV4, which protect against HPV genotypes 16 and 18 into Zimbabwe is likely to go a long way in reducing deaths due to cervical cancer. However, there are few challenges to the introduction of the vaccines. The target population for HPV vaccination is at the moment not well-defined. The other challenge is that the current HPV vaccines confer only type-specific (HPV 16 and 18) immunity leaving a small proportion of Zimbabwean women unprotected against other high-risk HPV genotypes such as 31, 33 and 58. Future HPV vaccines such as the nanovalent vaccine will be more useful to Zimbabwe as they will protect women against more genotypes.
RESUMEN
None-barrier methods are the most predominant contraceptive methods of choice among Zimbabwean women, with the contraceptive pill being the most popular. The spread of HIV/AIDS is most prevalent in sub-Saharan African countries, Zimbabwe included. The prevalent mode of transmission is unprotected heterosexual sex. Although Zimbabwe boasts of a high literacy rate some women may still be vulnerable like in other parts of the world, as they may not understand the role of the Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council (ZNFPC) and other reproductive health service providers. This is because some women at risk may expose themselves to unprotected sex while they are on hormonal contraceptives. This paper seeks to infer into pros and cons of hormonal contraceptive use among Zimbabwean women. There is also need to discuss the effectiveness of providers (ZNFPC clinics and the Ministry of Health) in educating women about the risk of HIV transmission, which may be associated with some non-barrier methods of contraception. An understanding of women's attitudes towards the different forms of contraception is of paramount importance as is that of the factors that could contribute to women in different social settings resorting to uninformed contraceptive choices.
RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Primary hepatocellular carcinoma (PHC) is one of the most common cancers in Zimbabwe. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) are suspected to play a major role in causing this cancer. The objective of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of HBV and HCV in PHC at Parirenyatwa Referral Hospital in Zimbabwe. We evaluated the serological markers of the two viruses in patients with PHC using commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent kits. RESULTS: Out of the 60 patients with PHC, 48.3% were seropositive for HBV and 20.0% were seropositive for HCV. Co-infection by HCV and HBV was found in 8% of the patients. Only 13.3% of the health controls (blood donors) were positive for HBV. All the controls were negative for HCV. CONCLUSION: The high seropositivity of HBV and HCV in PHC in Zimbabwe suggested that the two viruses were a major cause of the cancer.
RESUMEN
The study focuses on the effects of combined oral contraceptives (COCs) on the onset of cervical dysplasia among Zimbabwean women. Women who had used COCs for at least 2 years and were in continued use were compared to non-users of COCs (control group). It was difficult to establish the average period of contraceptive use because in most instances there was no proper documentation on the exact dates as to when the subjects started using COCs. The number of subjects with each condition was noted from each of the following age groups; <20 years, 20-29years, 30-39years, 40-49years and >50years. It was found that the percentage of the control group with benign conditions was higher than that of COC users in all age groups . Significant differences at 95 percent confidence level were noted for the 20-29 years age group (z= -2.21) and 40-49 years age group (z= -2.53).The number of subjects in the <20 years and >50 years age groups were too small for z-score computation. No significant differences were noted for mild to moderate cervical inflammation in all age groups. There was a higher percentage of COC users with severe cervical inflammation compared to the control group in all age groups. Significant differences were noted in the 30-39 years age group (z=3.45) and 40-49 years age group (z= 1.98). A higher percentage of CIN I was noted among pooled COC users compared to the control group (z= 2.00) although no significant differences were obtained within different age groups. In conclusion, severe cervical inflammation and CIN I are more frequent among Zimbabwean women who use COCs as compared to non-users of COCs. Frequencies of advanced CIN are low among women who undergo routine cytological screening because this enables early detection and subsequent treatment.
