The spectrum of coma among people with diabetes in Cameroon: an appraisal of the implications and challenges at the Yaounde Central Hospital

Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology
Y M DehayemJ C Mbanya

Abstract

The present study was undertaken to assess the prevalence and prognosis of comas, the most serious acute complications of diabetes, among people with diabetes in Cameroon. The medical records of diabetic patients admitted to the endocrinolgy service of the Yaounde Central Hospital between November 1999 and October 2002 were reviewed. For each patient, data were collected on past medical history, clinical parameters, results of laboratory investigations, treatment received, and outcome. Coma was found to account for 10.2% (52) of the 509 admissions of diabetic patients, and to be responsible for a diagnosis of diabetes in 11 patients. The underlying causes of the comas were hypoglycaemia (28.8%), ketoacidosis (25%), hyperosmolar syndrome (25%), stroke (5.8%), uraemic syndrome (5.8%) and meningitis (5.8%). Hypoglycaemia was treated with intravenous (10%) glucose. Careful rehydration and subcutaneous injections of low doses of regular insulin were used to manage the hyperglycaemic crises, and broad-spectrum antibiotics were used to treat the infections. Despite the treatments, 11 of the coma cases died in hospital, six (55%) of the deaths being ultimately attributed to infection. Diabetic comas are relatively frequent in Yaounde a...Continue Reading

References

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Citations

Aug 25, 2011·Neurocritical Care·Farrah J Mateen
Apr 30, 2011·International Journal of Epidemiology·Shona DalalMichelle D Holmes
Nov 25, 2011·Globalization and Health·Justin B Echouffo-Tcheugui, Andre P Kengne
Dec 25, 2010·Arhiv za higijenu rada i toksikologiju·Jelena KatićMarija Gamulin
Apr 14, 2017·New Solutions : a Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health Policy : NS·Anne Rochon Ford, Dayna Nadine Scott

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