Abstract
BackgroundThe metabolic impact of participating in a diabetes camp is little known among children and adolescents living with type 1 diabetes in sub-Saharan Africa. We aimed to assess the changes in glycemic control and insulin doses in a group of children and adolescents living with type 1 diabetes in Cameroon during and after camp attendance.MethodsDuring a 5-day camp, we collected data on insulin doses, HbA1c, weight and blood glucose at least six times per day in a group of children and adolescents living with type 1 diabetes. We compared the evolution of these parameters 3 and 12 months after camp.ResultsThirty-two campers completed the study. The mean age was 19 ± 2 years and the median duration of diabetes was 2 [IQR: 1.8–5] years. The mean HbA1c was 7.9 ± 2.2 % and the mean insulin dose was 49 ± 20 units/day upon arrival at camp. HbA1c dropped by 0.6 % after 12 months (p = 0.029). Despite the significant (p = 0.04) reduction in insulin dose from 49 ± 20 to 44 ± 18 units/day at the end of camp, hypoglycemic episodes occurred in 26 campers. However, the mean number of hypoglycemic episodes reduced from 1.32 (range: 0–4) on the first day, to 0.54 (range: 0–2) on the last day of camp (p = 0.006). Weight increased by 6 kg (p = 0.028) between 3 and 12 months after camp, but insulin doses remained unchanged.ConclusionsAttending camp for children and adolescents living with diabetes is associated with a significant decrease in HbA1c twelve months after camp without changes in insulin doses. Including camps as an integral part of type 1 diabetes management in children and adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa may yield some benefits.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT02632032. Registered 4 December 2015.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12902-016-0086-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
The metabolic impact of participating in a diabetes camp is little known among children and adolescents living with type 1 diabetes in sub-Saharan Africa
Participants and setting In this study, we analyzed data obtained from children and adolescents living with type 1 diabetes who attended the diabetes camp of July 2013 and who came back for follow up at the Changing Diabetes in Children” (CDiC) clinic of the Yaoundé Central Hospital, 3 and 12 months later
The CDiC project offers logistics and free medical care to children living with type 1 diabetes in Cameroon, which includes free medical consultations, insulin, syringes, a glucose meter (Accu Check Active®, Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Mannheim, Germany) glucose strips, HbA1c monitoring every 3 months, collective therapeutic education sessions every 3 months and a yearly screening for complications
Summary
The metabolic impact of participating in a diabetes camp is little known among children and adolescents living with type 1 diabetes in sub-Saharan Africa. We aimed to assess the changes in glycemic control and insulin doses in a group of children and adolescents living with type 1 diabetes in Cameroon during and after camp attendance. Several studies have shown the positive impact of camps on the level of knowledge and social welfare of Dehayem et al BMC Endocrine Disorders (2016) 16:5 campers as well as their ability to self-support [7,8,9,10] Their metabolic impact is still debated and very little is known on this subject in Sub-Saharan Africa. The fifth camp organized in Yaoundé in July 2013 included adolescents above 18 years It included only patients from Yaoundé and surrounding areas. The aim of this study was to assess changes in glycemic control and insulin doses in this group of campers, during the camp, as well as 3 and 12 months after camp
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