Diabetes in urban Guinea-Bissau; patient characteristics, mortality and prevalence of undiagnosed dysglycemia.

Background: The burden of diabetes mellitus in Sub-Saharan Africa is growing rapidly, and yet the prevalence and patient characteristics are still largely unknown.

Objectives: We analyzed clinical and demographic characteristics of Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) patients attending a diabetes clinic in Guinea-Bissau from February 2008 to April 2014, and estimated the prevalence and risk factors of unknown-impaired fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and diabetes, as well as excess mortality associated with T2DM.

Methods: We characterized T2DM patients attending the national diabetes clinic in Bissau.