Prevalence of diabetes mellitus in newly diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis in Beira, Mozambique

Introduction: Data regarding the association between diabetes mellitus (DM) and tuberculosis (TB) in Africa are scarce. DM screening among TB patients in Mozambique was carried out. Methods: The study was implemented from January to August 2016 in three Urban Health Centers in Beira, Mozambique and recruited adult (>18 years) patients newly diagnosed with pulmonary TB. Results: Three hundred and one patients were enrolled (67.4%, males mean age 31.7(SD 11 years). Diabetes was diagnosed in only 3 patients (1%) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) in an additional 6 subjects (2%). Conclusion: A lower than expected prevalence of DM was observed, which could be explained by the lack of traditional risk factors for DM (overweight, age over 45 years, hypertension and smoking) in Mozambique

Prevalence of diabetes mellitus in newly diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis in Beira, Mozambique.

Introduction: Data regarding the association between diabetes mellitus (DM) and tuberculosis (TB) in Africa are scarce. DM screening among TB patients in Mozambique was carried out. Methods: The study was implemented from January to August 2016 in three Urban Health Centers in Beira, Mozambique and recruited adult (>18 years) patients newly diagnosed with pulmonary TB. Results: Three hundred and one patients were enrolled (67.4%, males mean age 31.7(SD 11 years). Diabetes was diagnosed in only 3 patients (1%) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) in an additional 6 subjects (2%). Conclusion: A lower than expected prevalence of DM was observed, which could be explained by the lack of traditional risk factors for DM (overweight, age over 45 years, hypertension and smoking) in Mozambique

Prevalence of diabetes mellitus in newly diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis in Beira, Mozambique

Introduction: Data regarding the association between diabetes mellitus (DM) and tuberculosis (TB) in Africa are scarce. DM screening among TB patients in Mozambique was carried out. Methods: The study was implemented from January to August 2016 in three Urban Health Centers in Beira, Mozambique and recruited adult (>18 years) patients newly diagnosed with pulmonary TB. Results: Three hundred and one patients were enrolled (67.4%, males mean age 31.7(SD 11 years). Diabetes was diagnosed in only 3 patients (1%) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) in an additional 6 subjects (2%). Conclusion: A lower than expected prevalence of DM was observed, which could be explained by the lack of traditional risk factors for DM (overweight, age over 45 years, hypertension and smoking) in Mozambique

Plasma concentration of parasite DNA as a measure of disease severity in falciparum malaria.

In malaria-endemic areas, Plasmodium falciparum parasitemia is common in apparently healthy children and severe malaria is commonly misdiagnosed in patients with incidental parasitemia. We assessed whether the plasma Plasmodium falciparum DNA concentration is a useful datum for distinguishing uncomplicated from severe malaria in African children and Asian adults. P. falciparum DNA concentrations were measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in 224 African children (111 with uncomplicated malaria and 113 with severe malaria) and 211 Asian adults (100 with uncomplicated malaria and 111 with severe malaria) presenting with acute falciparum malaria. The diagnostic accuracy of plasma P. falciparum DNA concentrations in identifying severe malaria was 0.834 for children and 0.788 for adults, similar to that of plasma P. falciparum HRP2 levels and substantially superior to that of parasite densities (P < .0001). The diagnostic accuracy of plasma P. falciparum DNA concentrations plus plasma P. falciparum HRP2 concentrations was significantly greater than that of plasma P. falciparum HRP2 concentrations alone (0.904 for children [P = .004] and 0.847 for adults [P = .003]). Quantitative real-time PCR measurement of parasite DNA in plasma is a useful method for diagnosing severe falciparum malaria on fresh or archived plasma samples

Incidence and burden of long COVID in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Long COVID, also known as "post-acute sequelae of COVID-19," affects at least 65 million individuals worldwide with a wide spectrum of symptoms that may last weeks, months, or permanently. Its epidemiology and burden in Africa are unclear. This meta-analysis examines long-term COVID-19 effects in the WHO African Region. A systematic search in several databases was carried out up to 12 February 2023 including observational studies from African countries reporting the cumulative incidence of long COVID signs and symptoms. Only studies conducted in African countries were included. Several sensitivity and meta-regression analyses were performed. Among 1547 papers initially screened, 25 were included, consisting of 29,213 participants. The incidence of any long COVID symptomatology was 48.6% (95% CI 37.4-59.8) as psychiatric conditions were the most frequent, particularly post-traumatic stress disorder reaching a cumulative incidence of 25% (95% CI 21.1-30.4). Higher age (p = 0.027) and hospitalization (p = 0.05) were associated with a higher frequency of long COVID. Long COVID poses a significant burden in Africa, particularly concerning psychiatric conditions. The study recommends identifying at-risk people and defining treatment strategies and recommendations for African long-COVID patients. High-quality studies addressing this condition in African setting are urgently needed

Extremely high prevalence of multi-resistance among uropathogens from hospitalised children in Beira, Mozambique

Objectives. A prospective surveillance study was conducted to investigate the epidemiology and patterns of antibiotic resistance among uropathogens from hospitalised children in Beira, Mozambique. Additionally, information regarding determinants of a urinary tract infection (UTI) was obtained. Methods. Bacterial species identification, antimicrobial susceptibility testing and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase testing were performed for relevant bacterial isolates. Results. Analysis of 170 urine samples from 148 children yielded 34 bacterial isolates, predominantly Escherichia coli and Klebsiella spp., causative of a urinary tract infection in 29 children; 30/34 isolates (88.2%) from 26/29 children (89.7%) were considered highly resistant micro-organisms (HRMOs). No significant determinants of urinary tract infection with HRMOs were detected when analysing gender, antibiotic use during hospital admission and HIV status. Conclusion. This study shows, for the first time in Mozambique, an extremely high prevalence of HRMOs among uropathogens from hospitalised children with a urinary tract infection

Tuberculosis and diabetes: Current state and future perspectives

This review outlines the association between tuberculosis and diabetes, focusing on epidemiology, physiopathology, clinical aspects, diagnosis and treatment, and evaluates future perspectives, with particular attention to developing countries