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Middle-income countries need a rational and cost-effective approach to optimise management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). There is a paucity of data from such countries on the extent of hypoglycaemia and its consequences for their healthcare systems. This review provides the context for health policy change and evaluates available data on diabetes complications, focusing on hypoglycaemia in T2DM patients in non-Western countries. Suitable guidelines are suggested for these communities, which are in transition from poverty to affluence and in transition from an environment where infectious diseases predominate to one where non-communicable diseases are predominant.

Although the mortality of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) has decreased substantially in the developed world, high mortality rates still prevail in South Africa, thus making this an important condition to recognise early and manage well. This review discusses the treatment of DKA, with emphasis on the controversial aspect of initial fluid replacement therapy. Current guidelines recommend the use of normal saline. The concern is that normal saline, when used in large volumes, leads to the development of a hyperchloraemic metabolic acidosis which is of uncertain clinical significance. This hyperchloraemic acidosis is better quantified using Stewart's model, as opposed to the "traditional" Henderson-Hasselbalch equation. Ringer's lactate is an alternative choice for initial fluid resuscitation, but may exacerbate the high lactate to pyruvate ratio in patients in DKA, and may cause hyperkaleamia. Insulin therapy, prevention of electrolyte abnormalities, and the replacement of bicarbonate and phosphate, are other important considerations in the management of the patient with DKA.

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OBJECTIVE: To investigate the uptake and usage of a WhatsApp-based interactive communication strategy to avert pre-diagnosis loss to follow-up (LTFU) from TB care in a high-incidence setting.METHODS: We enrolled adults (≥18 years) who underwent routine sputum TB testing in two primary healthcare clinics in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, South Africa. The intervention consisted of structured WhatsApp-based reminders (prompts) sent prior to a routine clinic appointment scheduled 2–3 days after the diagnostic visit. Pre-diagnosis LTFU was defined as failure to return for the scheduled appointment and within 10 days.RESULTS: We approached 332 adults with presumptive TB, of whom 103 (31%) were successfully enrolled; 213 (64%) did not own a WhatsApp-compatible phone. Of 103 participants, 74 (72%) actively responded to WhatsApp prompts; 69 (67%) opted to include a close contact in group communication to co-receive reminders. Pre-diagnosis LTFU was low overall (n = 7, 6.8%) and was not associated with failure to respond to WhatsApp prompts.CONCLUSION: In this high-incidence setting, enrolment in a WhatsApp-based communication intervention among adults with presumptive TB was low, mainly due to low availability of WhatsApp-compatible phones. Among participants, we observed high message response rates and low LTFU, suggesting potential for interactive messaging services to support pre-diagnosis TB care.