Abstract

Uganda has seen an increase in diabetes cases as well. The incidence is 1.4%, however the Eastern Region has seen
prevalence rates as high as 7.4%. As indicated by the insufficient (poor) diabetes care found particularly in rural
regions, the financial burden of diabetes is quite large and constantly growing, a burden that hurts the Ugandan
economy. The goal of this study was to determine how common diabetes mellitus and its consequences are at Hoima
Regional Referral Hospital. Using patient data who visited the hospital between January 2020 and December 2020,
a facility-based retrospective cross-sectional study was carried out at the Hoima regional referral hospital in Western
Uganda. The files that will be examined were selected using a straightforward random sample technique. Microsoft
Excel 13.0 was used to enter the data into the computer and STATA version 14.0 was used to analyze it. The
complications associated with diabetes mellitus were identified using bivariate logistic regression; odds ratios were
presented together with the 95% confidence interval p value, which indicated significance. Participants in the study
were 43.02 years old on average, with a standard deviation of 17.07 years. With an interquartile range of 29 to 56
years, the median age was 40 years. At a 95% confidence interval of 19.46 to 29.49, the total prevalence of diabetes
mellitus was 24.48% (70/286). The age group of 71 years had the highest prevalence of Diabetes Mellitus, with a
prevalence of 36.36% at a 95% confidence interval of 14.53-58.19, while the age group of 51 to 60 years had the
lowest prevalence, with 19.51% at a 95% confidence interval of 06.85-32.18. The research revealed that diabetes
mellitus was linked to 4 sequelae, including cardiovascular disease (cOR 2.18, 95% CI 1.26-3.77, P=0.005) and
neuropathy (cOR 2.31, 95% CI 1.31-4.06, P=0.004). Foot damage (cOR 23.82, 95%CI 11.98-47.35, P0.001) and
retinopathy (cOR 1.91, 95%CI 1.05-3.48, P=0.034). At Hoima Regional Referral Hospital, the case fatality rate for
diabetes mellitus cases over the course of a year was 14.29%. Compared to the overall prevalence of diabetes mellitus
in Uganda, the prevalence of the disease at Hoima Regional Referral Hospital is greater. By initiating diabetic
patients on anti-diabetics early enough, ensuring that they take the medication as prescribed, and providing them
with self-management advice, it is possible to prevent all complications of diabetes mellitus.