Prevalence and risk factors for diabetes chronic complications in Harare, Zimbabwe

Background: Diabetes is a chronic condition which often causes severe long term complications which compromise quality of life and burdens health care systems and can cause permanent disability and even death. The incidence of diabetes and the associated complications in Harare as reported through surveillance data has been on the increase. In order to reduce disease burden due to diabetes chronic complications, prevalence and risk factors for diabetes chronic complications must be determined through studies. Methods: A total of 284 diabetics attending diabetic clinics at Parirenyatwa and Harare Central Hospitals were enrolled in this cross sectional analytic study. Interviewer administered questionnaires were used to collect data. The occurrence of diabetes chronic complications and their associated risk factors were analyzed. Written informed consent was sought and obtained from all the respondents. Results: Overall, prevalence of diabetes chronic complications was high with 45% of respondents having at least one diabetes chronic complication. Significant risk factors associated with diabetes chronic complications were: age>50 years (OR=4.34, p10 years (OR=2.36, p10 years with diabetes (adjusted OR=5.34, p<0.001); high LDL-Cholesterol (adjusted OR=1.84, p=0.039) and type 2 diabetes (adjusted OR=6.48, p