Vitamin K Antagonist Use and Level of Anticoagulation Control Among Patients at a Tertiary Hospital in Northern Tanzania.

Background: Vitamin K antagonists (VKA) continue to be the principal anticoagulants for both the treatment and prevention of venous thromboembolism. The use of VKA often requires regular monitoring to avoid over-anticoagulation and prevent thromboembolic complications. The aim was to determine the indication for VKA use and factors associated with suboptimal anticoagulation control among patients in northern Tanzania.

Catheter-Related Bloodstream Infections Among Hemodialysis Patients in Northern Tanzania: Insights From a Single-Centre Retrospective Study.

Background And Aims: A catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI) is a life-threatening complication of hemodialysis. It is responsible for significant morbidity and mortality and a costly long hospital stay. Despite its burden, little is known about the factors associated with it and the antibiogram of its responsible causative bacteria.

Management Outcomes of Variceal Bleeding in Northern Tanzania: Insights From a Single-Center Retrospective Analysis.

Aims: Due to the expensiveness and unavailability of endoscopy management in Tanzania, the management outcomes of variceal bleeding are unknown. The objective of this study was to assess the management outcomes of patients with variceal bleeding.

Methods: This was a retrospective study conducted between April 2012 and April 2022.

Metabolic Syndrome and Associated Factors Among People Living With HIV on Dolutegravir-Based Antiretroviral Therapy in Northern Tanzania.

Purpose: Chronic systemic inflammation from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) may cause metabolic abnormalities in lipid metabolism. Additionally, the development of metabolic syndrome has been associated with specific anti-retroviral therapy, particularly dolutegravir. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and associated factors of metabolic syndrome among people living with HIV on dolutegravir-based anti-retroviral therapy.

Primary Breast Lymphoma: A Case Report of a Common Tumor in an Uncommon Location.

Primary breast lymphoma (PBL) is a rare malignant lymphoid neoplasm limited to the breast, accounting for about 0.15% of all malignant breast tumors and 1.7% to 2.

Factors Associated With Survival Among Patients With Multiple Myeloma in Northeastern Tanzania.

Purpose: This study sought to delineate the clinical, laboratory, and imaging characteristics during multiple myeloma (MM) diagnosis, outline the treatment modalities administered, and ascertain the survival rates among patients with MM over a comprehensive 5-year span in Tanzania.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study investigated patients diagnosed with MM at the Cancer Care Clinic, Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre, between January 2017 and June 2022. Demographic data, clinical profiles, and survival outcomes were collected.

Feco-prevalence, endoscopic pattern and associated factors of Helicobacter Pylori infection among symptomatic adult patients in Northern Tanzania.

Background: Africa has consistently had the highest prevalence (70.1%) of H. pylori, and this has led to significant cases of dyspepsia, gastric cancers, and upper gastrointestinal bleeding.

Impact of Self-Monitoring Blood Glucose on Glycaemic Control Among Insulin-Treated Patients With Diabetes Mellitus in Northeastern Tanzania: A Randomised Controlled Trial.

Tracking of blood glucose levels by patients and care providers remains an integral component in the management of diabetes mellitus (DM). Evidence, primarily from high-income countries, has illustrated the effectiveness of self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) in controlling DM. However, there is limited data on the feasibility and impact of SMBG among patients in the rural regions of sub-Saharan Africa.

A protocol to clinically evaluate liquid biopsies as a tool to speed up diagnosis of children and young adults with aggressive infection-related lymphoma in East Africa "(AI-REAL)".

Background: The capacity for invasive tissue biopsies followed by histopathology diagnosis in sub-Saharan Africa is severely limited. Consequently, many cancer patients are diagnosed late and outcomes are poor. Here, we propose to evaluate circulating tumour (ct) DNA analysis ("liquid biopsy"), a less invasive and faster approach to diagnose endemic EBV-driven lymphomas (EBVL) in East Africa.

Isolated gallbladder tuberculosis in an 84-year old man: A rare case report.

Introduction: Isolated gallbladder tuberculosis is extremely rare even in endemic regions posing diagnostic challenges as the presentation mimics other gallbladder diseases such as cholecystitis and gallbladder carcinoma. Preoperative suspicion index is negligible with most cases being diagnosed postoperatively from resected specimen.

Case Presentation: Herein, we report an elderly man who presented with jaundice, and was clinically diagnosed with gallbladder carcinoma.

Skin maculae, chronic diarrhea, cachexia, and splenomegaly-Late presentation of the first autochthonous case of visceral leishmaniasis in Tanzania.

A 20-year-old man from Simanjiro district in northern Tanzania presented with a 3-year history of splenomegaly, fatigue, cachexia, skin maculae, and recent onset of watery diarrhea at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC) in Northern Tanzania. Due to laboratory findings of pancytopenia, diagnostic workup included bone marrow aspiration cytology and biopsy. Although the rapid test (IT LEISH, rK39 RDT) was negative, blood smear showed amastigote forms of leishmaniasis in macrophages.

Early molecular response in East African Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukaemia patients treated with Imatinib and barriers to access treatment.

Background: Data about haematologic malignancies from Tanzania are sparse. African studies show that chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) is the most common leukaemia, and registry data display a lower mean age at diagnosis. Prognosis is generally good with tyrosine kinase inhibitors, but the molecular response of Imatinib treatment has never been studied in East Africa, and the outcome remains unknown.

Lower Gastrointestinal Involvement in Multiple Myeloma: A Case Report.

Multiple myeloma (MM) commonly presents with anemia and bone pain. Besides bone marrow involvement, MM has a tendency to involve other organs with gastrointestinal (GI) tract, especially lower GI tract involvement being uncommon. Our case shows an elderly male with anemia due to suspected GI malignancy.

Hematological malignancies in East Africa-Which cancers to expect and how to provide services.

Background: Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has an increasing non-communicable disease burden. Tanzania has an incidence of more than 35,000 cancer cases per year with an 80% mortality rate. Hematological malignancies account for 10% of these cases.

Camurati-Engelmann disease: a case report from sub-Saharan Africa.

Camurati-Engelmann disease is a rare autosomal dominant inherited condition belonging to the group of craniotubular hyperostosis with characteristic radiological features of the diaphyses of the long bones and the skull. A 35-year-old female is reported presenting with bone pain and waddling gait, since the age of 20 years. Motor activities were limited since the age of 10 years.

Spontaneous oesophageal rupture: a diagnostic challenge in resource-limited setting.

Spontaneous oesophageal rupture after swallowing a bolus of food is a very rare condition. In resource-limited settings, it is very challenging to diagnose this condition especially when its presentation is atypical. Its prognosis is very poor when diagnosis is delayed due to risk of mediastinitis.