Epidemiological and Evolutionary Aspects of Diabetes Mellitus in Children and Adolescents in Pointe Noire

Abstract

Diabetes in children and adolescents is considered rare in Africa due to a lack of data. We conducted a retrospective analytical study for 12 years, based on patient records between 2010 and 2022, and analyzed the epidemiological and evolutionary aspects of patients. A total of 236 patients were enrolled, including 121 (51.48%) men and 114 (48.51%) women. The average age at the discovery of the disease was 16.29±5.39 years, ranging from 1 year to 19 years. The most represented age group was 10-20 years. The incidence rate was 2.43/10,000 inhabitants/year. The prevalence of childhood diabetes mellitus in Pointe-Noire was 0.20%. We observed 98.29% cases of T1D, 0.85% of secondary diabetes, 0.42% of T2D, and 0.42% cases of MODY. Diabetic ketoacidosis was the most common cause of hospitalization (51.89%). Follow-up was regular for 43.82% of patients but marked by patients lost to follow-up (14.46%) and a significant number of deaths (18.72%). Better biological monitoring of our patients will prevent complications and improve care.