Introduction The link between diabetes mellitus and hepatitis B and C Virus infections has not yet been studied in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country where diabetes mellitus is a growing disease and the prevalence of hepatitis B and C viruses infections is high. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of these viruses in diabetic patients. Methods We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study in diabetic subjects attending Kisangani University Clinics and General Hospitals of Kisangani City as well as the Diabetics Association of Oriental Province. The control group consisted of volunteer blood donors recruited from the Kisangani Provincial Blood Transfusion Center. Blood glucose was measured with the spectrophotometer; for hepatitis B and hepatitis C viruses serology, we used rapid test kits (Determine TM ® HBsAg and Hexagon ® HCV test) and ELISA if seropositivity by rapid tests. The analysis was done by SPSS software. Results Seroprevalence of hepatitis C virus in diabetics was 24.8% compared to 1.9% in volunteer blood donors (p = 0.0000); that of hepatitis B virus was 3.4% versus 3.5% in volunteer blood donors (p = 0.906). Hepatitis C virus infection was more common in type 2 diabetics (p = 0.006) and significantly associated with age of diabetic patients (p = 0.002). Conclusion The seroprevalence of hepatitis C virus and not hepatitis B virus infection is significantly high in diabetic subjects, particularly type 2 diabetics, in the Democratic Republic of Congo and suggests systematic screening for this infection in any diabetic patient.

Background and aim: Diabetes is one of the leading non-communicable diseases in the world; diabetes is common in the elderly. The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence, clinical features and complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus among the elderly in the Hôpital Provincial du Nord-Kivu in Goma. Subjects and Methods: A cross sectional study was based on data collected among the elderly from 2013 to 2015 in the Department of Internal Medicine. Overall, 418 elders were included. Results: The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus was 8.6% (95% CI: 6.3 -11.7). Overall, 54% of the elderly were males while 46% were females. Among males, 6.6% were diagnosed with diabetes whereas 11.0% were among females (p < 0.001). All elderly diabetic subjects (n = 36) were taking anti diabetic drugs such as insulin or oral medications (sulfonylurea and/or biguanide). Among those, 15 (41.7%) were on insulin and 21 (58.3%) on oral anti diabetic. Mean fasting glucose was higher among elderly individuals taking oral medications compared with their counterparts on insulin (104.4 versus 157.3 mg/dl, p < 0.001). The asthenia (86.1%), the polyuria (13.9%), the coma (11.1%) and the polydipsia (5.6%) were the principal symptoms on admission. The infectious, metabolic, micro vascular and macrovascular complications were diagnosed in this study. Conclusion: Our study provides evidence on the high prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus among elderly individuals. Moreover, the study found many factors associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus among the elderly and the difficulty of diagnosing diabetes in the elderly. Hence, there is need to enhance the existing prevention programmes with emphasis on social determinants of diabetes, which need to be clarified by broad epidemiological studies at the population level.

Institution  Reader  Other Date initiative is launched: 2019-09-12 Retraction type (multiple responses allowed): X Unreliable findings  Lab error  Inconsistent data  Analytical error  Biased interpretation X Other: Missing Important Background, Results and Discussion Contents  Irreproducible results  Failure to disclose a major competing interest likely to influence interpretations or recommendations  Unethical research  Fraud  Data fabrication  Fake publication  Other:  Plagiarism  Self plagiarism  Overlap  Redundant publication *  Copyright infringement  Other legal concern:  Editorial reasons  Handling error  Unreliable review(s)  Decision error  Other:  Other: Results of publication (only one response allowed):  are still valid. X were found to be overall invalid.