Juvenile Diabetes Mellitus At Kenyatta National Hospital: Control Parameters, Level Of Control And The Factors Which Influence This Control

Abstract

40 Juvenile Diabetics attending the Diabetes clinic, Kenyatta National Hospital are studied. These form 11% of the Juvenile Diabetics population and 1.7% of the total population of diabetics as registered in the Kenyatta National Hospital Diabetes Clinic Register by September, 1977. In only 1/4 of these patients is diabetes controlled ( using the parameters of ;a single determination of fasting plasma glucose, a 2 hours post prandial plasma glucose and fasting urine glucosuria by both clinistix and clinitest ). Some of the causes of this poor control are investigated and an attempt is made to correlate control using the level of glucosuria to control using the fasting plasma glucose level. Literature is reviewed in connection with the merits and demerits of rigid diabetes control and criteria of diabetes control used in the past and those currently in use. Some suggestions are made as to how better control can be achieved in our population and further a few future research projects in the field of diabetes are suggested.