Type 1 diabetes mellitus in Gabon: A study of epidemiological aspects

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is the most frequent endocrinopathy in children. Its replacement therapy requires insulin, without which, death is inevitable. This treatment is expensive and a financial burden for diabetic children and their families, especially in Africa. In the absence of a national T1DM register, the purpose of this study was to describe epidemiological aspects of type 1 diabetes in children in Gabon, specify the difficulties met by the patients during the follow-up and identify factors explaining poor therapeutic observance and metabolic control. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Prospective transversal monocentric study. Data were firstly extracted from the registers of the Endocrinology Department of the University Hospital of Libreville (CHUL), Gabon, between 2010 and 2017. Secondly, patients were interviewed by telephone about the availability and cost of insulin, their self-monitoring of blood glucose, and diet. RESULTS: 306 patients (154 girls and 152 boys) were diagnosed with T1D during the study period and followed-up in the Endocrinology Department at CHUL. Mean age at diagnosis was 17 ± 7 years (5% of patients were over 5 years of age, 30% were >20 years old). Mean follow-up period was 4.0 ± 2.0 years. 16% of the patients were hospitalized at least 2 times per month for ketoacidosis. Hospital mortality was about 7%. Number of factors linked with poor therapeutic observance (high cost of treatment, lack of patients’ therapeutic education, etc.) were identified. CONCLUSION: T1D prevalence is constantly increasing worldwide, but at slower pace in Africa in comparison to developed countries. Difficulties to access to high standard care and population poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa, represents a major independent factor of poor therapeutic observance.