Diabetic Retinopathy in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients Attending the Diabetic Clinic of the University of Gondar Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia.

Objective: To investigate the level of diabetic retinopathy in type 2 diabetes (T2DM) patients attending the University of Gondar Hospital (UGH) Diabetic Clinic, Northwest Ethiopia.

Methods: An audit was carried out involving a total of 739 T2DM patients attending at the diabetic clinic of UGH. They represented approximately 90% and 50% of all T2DM patients under regular review at the urban and rural diabetic clinics of UGH, respectively.

Involving religious leaders in HIV care and treatment at a university-affiliated hospital in Ethiopia: Application of formative inquiry.

In sub-Saharan Africa, religious views strongly influence how people relate to illness, health, and healing. Belief in the curative power of religion, including for HIV, persists in many communities. As such, many funding agencies and organisations working in the field of HIV have incorporated religious institutions into their programmes in various capacities.

Retinopathy in type 1 diabetes mellitus: Major differences between rural and urban dwellers in northwest Ethiopia.

Aim: To audit levels of diabetes-related eye disease in Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) patients in northwest Ethiopia. In particular to establish whether, despite identical clinical goals, major differences between the physically demanding life-style of rural subsistence farmers and the sedentary life-style of urban dwellers would influence the prevalence of diabetes-related eye complications.

Methods: A robust infrastructure for chronic disease management that comprehensively includes all rural dwellers was a pre-requisite for the investigation.

Stigma in Ethiopia: association with depressive symptoms in people with HIV.

Rates of depression among people living with HIV can be as high as 50%. In many settings, HIV-related stigma has been associated with depressive symptoms which may lead to poor engagement in care and ultimately, poorer health outcomes. Stigma is a major issue in Ethiopia but data examining the relationship between stigma and depression in Ethiopia are lacking.

Epilepsy, poverty and early under-nutrition in rural Ethiopia.

Purpose: The incidence of epilepsy in Ethiopia is high compared with industrialised countries, but in most cases the cause of epilepsy is unknown. Childhood malnutrition remains widespread. We performed a case-control study to determine whether epilepsy is associated with poverty and markers of early under-nutrition.