BackgroundThe prevalence of diabetes mellitus and factors associated with it, nowadays, are increasing in alarming rates among different occupational groups. Of these occupational groups are Police officers that, often, are exposed to unique life styles and stressful situations which may lead to diabetes mellitus and other cardiovascular diseases. Due to this reason, the present study was conducted to assess the prevalence and factors associated with diabetes mellitus and impaired fasting glucose level among members of federal police commission residing in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.MethodsA cross-sectional study design was conducted from April to May 2015. Multistage and systematic random sampling techniques were employed to select the study participants. The study population was federal police commission members living in Addis Ababa and served for at least a year. The data were collected using structured questionnaire, physical examinations and blood samples, based on the WHO stepwise approach. Data were entered in to SPSS version 20.0 and descriptive statistics and logistics regression were used for analysis.ResultsOut of the 1003 eligible subjects, 936 (93.3%) police officers have participated in this study. The prevalence of overall impaired glucose homeostasis (IGH) was 120 (13%) of which 47 (5%) were diabetes and 73 (8%) were impaired fasting glucose. Whereas police rank, history of first degree relative who suffered from diabetes, hypertension and waist hip ratio showed a statistical significance with prevalence of diabetes mellitus, age, family history, hypertension, BMI and waist hip ratio were found to be associated with impaired fasting glucose.ConclusionThe study identified a high prevalence of IGH among the police officers. A priority should be given on preventive strategies of diabetes mellitus, as that of communicable diseases, by Federal Police Commission Health Service Directorate, Federal Ministry of Health and other concerned partners.

International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung DiseaseHealth solutions for the poor C hronic non-communicable diseases have emerged as the next twenty-first century global epidemic and have already become the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. 1 Among these, the global burden of diabetes mellitus (DM) is immense. In 2013, an estimated 382 million people were living globally with DM, with numbers expected to rise to 592 million by 2030. 2 Most of these persons have type 2 DM, and given the association between DM and unhealthy lifestyles, such as poor diet and physical inactivity, there are more people with DM in urban than in rural areas; this divide is estimated to reach 314 million and 143 million, respectively, in 2030. In 2013, DM-related complications were a major cause of disability and reduced quality of life, and an estimated 5 million people aged 20-79 years worldwide died prematurely from the disease. 2 Although Asia is the epicentre of the DM pandemic, there is an increasing burden of disease in sub-Saharan African countries. 3 A systematic review of studies in Ethiopia from 1970 to 2011 suggested that DM prevalence in the country was about 2%, rising to 5% in persons aged 40 years in certain settings. 4 A more recent nationwide World Health Organization (WHO) STEPS survey among 2153 persons in Ethiopia found the DM prevalence to be 6.5%. 5 It is therefore important to monitor and anticipate the growing burden of DM and related complications, together with treatment outcomes, for the purpose of resource planning (i.e., the human and material resources needed to diagnose, treat and manage this disease) and to inform future control and management strategies.A previous study in two specialised hospitals in Addis Ababa documented the trend in DM admissions between 2005 and 2009, noting that admissions increased from 51 per annum to 245 over this period. 6 Up-to-date information on the indications for hospital admission, the types of DM, existing complications and hospital outcomes is important, as this will help policy makers and health care staff better understand the DM burden and associated comorbidities. In Ethiopia, where there are no community-level studies on the burden of DM, hospital data serve as a useful proxy.The aim of the present study was therefore to document indications for admission, complications and hospital outcomes of patients with DM admitted to the largest referral hospital (in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia), and compare findings between patients with type 1 and type 2 DM. Specific objectives for patients stratified by type of DM were to describe 1) demographic characteristics and indications for hospital admission, 2) existing complications and comorbidities, and 3) hospital outcomes. METHODS Study designThis was a retrospective descriptive study using medical files. SettingGeneral setting Ethiopia, located in the Horn of Africa, is the third most populated country in sub-Saharan Africa, with 80 million inhabitants, of whom 80% live in rural areas. The country has arou...

IntroductionFor antiretroviral therapy (ART) to work effectively, adherence is very crucial. However, most studies done on ART adherence are either on children or on adults. There is limited information on the level of adherence among adolescents.MethodsUsing a cross-sectional study design, we interviewed 273 HIV-infected adolescents receiving ART from three hospitals in Addis Ababa. We used a structured questionnaire to measure adherence levels using patient self-reports. Bivariate and multivariate methods were used for analysis.ResultsWe interviewed 273 adolescents aged 13 to 19 years, and 144 (52.7%) of the participants were girls. Their mean age was 15.4 years (SD± 1.75). The self-reported adherence rate of the respondents was 79.1% (216/273). On bivariate analysis, variables like WHO clinical stage, being on Cotrimoxazole Prophylactic Therapy (CPT), marital and living status of the parent, whether parent was on ART or not and having special instructions for ART medications were associated with optimum adherence. However of those, only WHO stage IV (adjusted OR, 12.874 95% CI, 2.079-79.706), being on CPT (adjusted OR, 0.339 95% CI, 0.124-0.97) and adolescents with widowed parent (adjusted OR, 0.087 with 95% CI, 0.021-0.359) were found to be significantly associated with optimum ART adherence.ConclusionThe level of self-reported ART adherence among HIV-infected adolescents at the three hospitals was below the recommended threshold. Though earlier presentation of adolescents to care should be encouraged, more targeted adherence support should be planned for those who present at an early stage of their illness.

While our surgical skills course is an effective means to teach surgical skills to medical students, there is significant decay in abilities after 6 months. Conducting regular assessments does not appear to have any effect in helping students retain these skills. We recommend such surgical skills training be conducted at appropriate intervals, such as just before internship, to prepare student for active surgical practice.

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