Afr J Prim Health Care Fam Med
May 2024
Family medicine is a relatively new discipline in the Democratic of the Congo. It was developed under South-South and Churches Collaboration with the aim of responding in a cost-efficient manner to the crisis of health practitioners in mostly Christian and protestant hospitals based in rural areas in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVitamin K antagonists (VKA) is the primary anticoagulant in most settings of Sub-Saharan Africa. Understanding the quality of anticoagulation services in the continent is vital in optimising the intended benefits. This study assessed the quality of anticoagulation and associated factors among VKA-treated patients in nine SSA countries.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Diabetes is a significant problem in sub-Saharan Africa and achieving glycaemic control poses a health challenge among patients living with type 2 diabetes. There are limited data on glycaemic control in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. This study assessed the prevalence and factors associated with glycaemic control to inform potential interventions to improve glycaemic control in Kinshasa.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGlycaemic control is of one the main goals for managing type 2 diabetes. In sub-Saharan Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, studies have reported alarming poor control rates. Patients with poor glycaemic control are exposed to complications leading to high cost of care and deteriorated quality of life.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGlycaemic control is a significant problem in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the perspectives associated with glycaemic control are not fully known as previous studies rarely explored patients' perspectives and lived experiences. This qualitative study described the perspectives regarding glycaemic control among persons with type 2 diabetes in Kinshasa, DRC. A total of 23 participants were purposively selected in seven health centres in Kinshasa.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Poor glycaemic control is a multifactorial and complex problem with dire clinical and economic implications. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, recent studies have shown alarming poor control rates. There is no policy framework to guide corrective actions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Fexinidazole has been reported as an effective oral monotherapy against non-severe gambiense human African trypanosomiasis in a recent trial in adults. We aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of fexinidazole in children across all disease stages of gambiense human African trypanosomiasis.
Methods: We did a multicentre, single-arm, open-label, phase 2-3 trial at eight district hospitals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
In Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), between 68-86% of patients with type 2 diabetes present with poor glycaemic control leading to increased risk of complications and high cost of care. Identifying the factors driving glycaemic control is essential for better management. There is lack of data on factors associated with poor glycaemic control and targeted interventions in the DRC.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: There is an increased burden of diabetes globally including in sub-Saharan Africa. The literature shows that glycaemic control among type 2 diabetes patients is poor in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Understanding the factors influencing glycaemic control in this region is therefore important to develop interventions to optimize glycaemic control.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUrethral prolapse is a very rare disease, which is most often found in prepubescent girls. It occurs in about one over 5000 girls in the context of a chronic cough or any situation that increases abdominal pressure. It is often associated with diagnostic confusion, which delays management.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAfr J Prim Health Care Fam Med
April 2021
Background: The prevalence of diabetes mellitus is increasing dramatically in developing countries, where diabetic patients usually present with poor glycaemic control, leading to complications and worsening the prognosis.
Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the extent of poor glycaemic control and its determinants in diabetic patients.
Setting: The study was conducted in a rural area of the province of Kwilu, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Background: Sleeping sickness (human African trypanosomiasis [HAT]) is a neglected tropical disease with limited treatment options that currently require parenteral administration. In previous studies, orally administered pafuramidine was well tolerated in healthy patients (for up to 21 days) and stage 1 HAT patients (for up to 10 days), and demonstrated efficacy comparable to pentamidine.
Methods: This was a Phase 3, multi-center, randomized, open-label, parallel-group, active control study where 273 male and female patients with first stage Trypanosoma brucei gambiense HAT were treated at six sites: one trypanosomiasis reference center in Angola, one hospital in South Sudan, and four hospitals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo between August 2005 and September 2009 to support the registration of pafuramidine for treatment of first stage HAT in collaboration with the United States Food and Drug Administration.
Background: Sleeping sickness (human African trypanosomiasis [HAT]) is caused by protozoan parasites and characterized by a chronic progressive course, which may last up to several years before death. We conducted two Phase 2 studies to determine the efficacy and safety of oral pafuramidine in African patients with first stage HAT.
Methods: The Phase 2a study was an open-label, non-controlled, proof-of-concept study where 32 patients were treated with 100 mg of pafuramidine orally twice a day (BID) for 5 days at two trypanosomiasis reference centers (Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo [DRC]) between August 2001 and November 2004.