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. 2023 Mar 24:14:1043370.
doi: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1043370. eCollection 2023.

Type 1 diabetes in low and middle-income countries - Tanzania a streak of hope

Johnny Ludvigsson  1 , Majaliwa Edna  2 , Kaushik Ramaiya  3   4
Affiliations

Type 1 diabetes in low and middle-income countries - Tanzania a streak of hope

Johnny Ludvigsson et al. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). .

Abstract

Introduction: In several of the Low and Middle Income countries , many patients with Type 1 diabetes (T1D) are most probably not diagnosed at all which may contribute to their low incidence. As an example of a country with low income and poor resources, we have chosen to study T1D in children/young people in Tanzania.

Methods: Analyses of casebooks and statistics at several Tanzanian hospitals treating young patients with insulin dependent diabetes, usually Type 1 diabetes, and collection of information from different organisations such a Tanzanian Diabetes Association, Life for a Child, Changing Diabetes in Children and World Diabetes Foundation.

Results: The incidence in several areas is low. However, a lot of data are often missing at studied clinics and therefore the incidence might be higher, and with increased awareness in recent years the number of patients has increased many-folds. Most patients present with typical symptoms and signs of T1D, and a high proportion with plausible ketoacidosis , although this proportion has decreased from about 90% to about 40% in recent decades. Many patients have poor blood glucose control, and complications often develop already after short diabetes duration. In recent years resources have increased, awareness has increased and diabetes clinics started where staff has got training.

Conclusions: There are problems with diabetes care in Tanzania but several facts give hope for the future.

Keywords: Africa; children; complications; ketoacidosis; low income; resources; type 1 diabetes.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Geographical coverage of the type 1 diabetes clinic in Tanzania.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Total number of children with diabetes in Tanzania.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Trend of DKA in children and Youth with diabetes in Tanzania [Majaliwa, Edna., et al. “Diabetes care (2007);30.9: 2187-2192 (28); Kipasika, H., et al. “ Int J Diabetes Clin Res (2020); 7:126, Unpublished data].
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