Diabetes Concordant Comorbidities and Associated Factors Among Adult Diabetic Out-Patients at Hiwot Fana Specialized University Hospital, Harar, Eastern Ethiopia: a Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND: Nowadays diabetic comorbidities constitute a major public health problem in Ethiopian context. However, there is a dearth in epidemiology and risk factors of diabetic comorbidity in Ethiopia, particularly in the study setting. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the prevalence and identify factors associated with concordant diabetic comorbidities among diabetic out-patients at Hiwot Fana Specialized University Hospital (HFSUH), EasternEthiopia. METHODOLOGY: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted by reviewing medical record charts of adult diabetic outpatients. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis was carried out by using STATA version 16.0. To measure the strength of association an Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) with 95% Confidence Interval (CI) was used. Moreover, variables with p-value ≤ 0.05 were considered as statistically significant with the outcome variable. RESULTS: In this study, it is found that the overall prevalence of concordant comorbidity among adult diabetic out-patients was 55.8% (95% CI: 50.3–61.3). Moreover, more than two-third of patients, 72.73% were diagnosed for type two diabetic mellitus (T2DM). Among specified comorbidities about 42.3% were hypertension, 21.63% were obesity, and 13% were multi-morbidity. Age ≥ 55 years (AOR: 7.52, 95% CI: 1.24, 45.75), T2DM (AOR: 9.01, 95% CI: 1.50, 54.04), 2–5 years duration of treatments (AOR: 0.23, 95 CI: 0.078, 0.691), and poor glycemic control (AOR: 4.4 1, 95% CI: 2.34, 8.32) were factors significantly associated with concordant diabetic comorbidity. CONCLUSION: From the study conducted, the higher prevalence of concordant comorbidity among diabetic patients was investigated. Furthermore, older in age, T2DM, prolonged duration of treatment, and poor glycemic control were factors associated with diabetic comorbidities. Early detection and appropriate treatment of diabetic comorbidities are very important for better patient’s quality of life and functionality.