Beletaa Solomon, Kaba Ceasar, Mensah Joy Afua, Helegbe Gideon Kofi, Abugri James, Adadey Samuel Mawuli
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana.
College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
Endocrinol Diabetes Metab. 2025 Jul;8(4):e70079. doi: 10.1002/edm2.70079.
Diabetes mellitus is the most prevalent endocrine disorder in individuals under 30 years, encompassing type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), early-onset type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), monogenic diabetes, and maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY). This study investigated the prevalence, types, and complications associated with early-onset diabetes (EOD) in the Upper East Region of Ghana.
The study used anonymised patient data from the Ghana Health Service's electronic data system, focusing on inpatient records of individuals aged 0 to 30 diagnosed with diabetes. After removing personal identifiers, incomplete records, gestational diabetes cases, and duplicates, the dataset included variables such as age, sex, education level, admission year, outcomes, diagnoses, and complications, but lacked laboratory and treatment information.
The prevalence of EOD among patients under 30 years of age was calculated to be 0.16% (52 out of 33,282). T1DM was diagnosed in 15 out of 52 patients (28.8%), while only one case of T2DM was identified. Secondary diabetes due to unknown etiologies was the most common diagnosis (22 out of 52 cases, 42.3%), indicating the potential presence of undiagnosed monogenic diabetes or MODY. Reported complications included diabetic foot (5 cases), diabetic nephropathy (2 cases), infections (4 cases), retinopathy (4 cases), and ketoacidosis (13 cases). The data showed 3 deaths, 1 referral, and 1 absconded case were recorded.
These findings highlight the need for accurate diagnosis, targeted management strategies, and further research into secondary diabetes and its potential underlying causes in Ghana. Improved diagnostic capabilities, awareness, and healthcare resources are essential to address EOD and its complications at the study site.
糖尿病是30岁以下人群中最常见的内分泌疾病，包括1型糖尿病（T1DM）、早发型2型糖尿病（T2DM）、单基因糖尿病和青年发病的成年型糖尿病（MODY）。本研究调查了加纳上东部地区早发型糖尿病（EOD）的患病率、类型及相关并发症。
该研究使用了加纳卫生服务局电子数据系统中的匿名患者数据，重点关注0至30岁诊断为糖尿病的住院患者记录。去除个人标识符、不完整记录、妊娠期糖尿病病例和重复记录后，数据集包括年龄、性别、教育水平、入院年份、结局、诊断和并发症等变量，但缺乏实验室和治疗信息。
30岁以下患者中EOD的患病率经计算为0.16%（33282例中有52例）。52例患者中有15例被诊断为T1DM（28.8%），而仅发现1例T2DM。病因不明的继发性糖尿病是最常见的诊断（52例中有22例，42.3%），这表明可能存在未被诊断的单基因糖尿病或MODY。报告的并发症包括糖尿病足（5例）、糖尿病肾病（两例）、感染（4例）、视网膜病变（4例）和酮症酸中毒（13例）。数据显示记录了3例死亡、1例转诊和1例潜逃病例。
这些发现凸显了在加纳进行准确诊断、制定针对性管理策略以及对继发性糖尿病及其潜在病因进行进一步研究的必要性。提高诊断能力、意识和医疗资源对于在研究地点应对EOD及其并发症至关重要。
