INCE 1987, AN ATYPICAL PRESENtation of diabetes has emerged as one of the most frequent forms of diabetes in populations of African origin. [1][2][3][4][5] It is a diabetic syndrome characterized by an acute onset with severe hyperglycemia and ketosis or ketoacidosis requiring insulin therapy, followed by longterm insulin-free near-normoglycemic remission periods, 6,7 frequently interrupted by ketotic relapses. 3 Thus, it resembles type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM-1) at onset and prediabetes or type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM-2) over the long term. Because of the unknown etiology of this form of diabetes, especially in the absence of classic markers of autoimmune diabetes, it has conservatively been classified under idiopathic DM-1 or DM-1B by the World Health
BackgroundThe World Health Organisation recommends that each country adopts its own cut-off value of low birth weight (LBW) for clinical use. The aims of this study were to establish a clinical cut-off point for LBW and to determine its incidence, predictors and complications in a sub-urban area’s hospital of Cameroon.MethodsWe conducted a study in two phases: a 6-year retrospective phase during which we collected demographic and clinical information from the records of the maternity of the Buea Regional Hospital (BRH) and a 3-month prospective phase during which data were collected from consenting pregnant women using a structured questionnaire, and newborns were examined and followed after birth.ResultsA total of 4941 records were reviewed during the retrospective phase and the 10th centile of birth weights was 2600 g. In the 200 pregnant women enrolled during the prospective phase, using this cut-off yielded an incidence of LBW of 19.0 %. Independent predictors of LBW were preterm delivery, hypertensive disorders in pregnancy, HIV infection, maternal age >36 years, maternal height <150 cm and pre-delivery BMI < 25 kg/m2. Neonates with LBW were more likely to have neonatal asphyxia, foetal distress, respiratory distress and neonatal death.ConclusionsOur results suggest that newborns under 2600 g have LBW in sub-urban Cameroon. They represent one out of every five babies, and they deserve close care. Preventive measures targeting the predictors described here are warranted to reduce the incidence and complications. Similar studies in urban areas are required in order to generalize the results.
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