Abstract

Glycosuria is defined as a detectable amount of urinary glucose excretion. When laboratory finding is noted, fasting plasma glucose level should be checked. In the absence of hyperglycemia, renal glycosuria should be thought this study will be therefore undertaken to determine the prevalence of glycosuria among patients attending Buea Regional Hospital South, West Cameroon.

The study was a hospital-based analytical cross-sectional study. To achieve this, a structural questioner was used to gather information, and 150 patients who give consent were participants. The urine sample was collected and examined using combi 2 Dip strip method which contains glucose indicator. 30% of the samples were found to be positive for the glycosuria amongst the participant’s ages category 50-60 is the highest.

The total overall prevalence rate of glycosuria among all participants was 27%, Results were tabulated and also other data collected were presented in a pie chart, and analyzed using inferential statistics (Chi-square) to obtain statistical significance. Improved visiting the health center, Health talk, and deliberate policy by the government for rural community health concern was needed to prevent the glycosuria infection.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Glycosuria or glucosuria is the excretion of glucose into the urine. Ordinarily, urine contains no glucose because the kidneys are able to reabsorb all of the filtered glucose from the tubular fluid back into the bloodstream.

Glycosuria is nearly always caused by elevated blood glucose levels, most commonly due to untreated diabetes mellitus (Kim et al., 2010). Rarely, glycosuria is due to an intrinsic problem with glucose reabsorption within the kidneys (such as Fanconi syndrome) producing a condition termed renal glycosuria.

It leads to excessive water loss into the urine with resultant dehydration, a process called osmotic diuresis. Pathophysiology of Blood is filtered by millions of nephrons, the functional units that comprise the kidneys. In each nephron, blood flows from the arteriole into the glomerulus, a tuft of leaky capillaries.

The Bowman’s capsule surrounds each glomerulus, and collects the filtrate that the glomerulus forms. The filtrate contains waste products (e.g. urea), electrolytes (e.g. sodium, potassium, and chloride), amino acids, and glucose. The filtrate passes into the renal tubules of the kidney. In the first part of the renal tubule, the proximal tubule, glucose is reabsorbed from the filtrate, across the tubular epithelium, and into the bloodstream (Aida et al., 2013).

The proximal tubule can only reabsorb a limited amount of glucose. When the blood glucose level exceeds about 160 – 180 mg/dl the proximal tubule becomes overwhelmed and begins to excrete glucose in the urine.

This point is called the renal threshold of glucose (RTG) (Corcoran et al., 1947). Some people, especially children, and pregnant women may have a low RTG (less than ~7 mmol/L] glucose in the blood to have glucosuria).

If the RTG is so low that even normal blood glucose levels produce the condition, it is referred to as renal glycosuria. Glucose in urine can be identified by Benedict’s qualitative test. Glycosuria can be induced therapeutically for the treatment of diabetes mellitus type 2 using SGLT2 inhibitors canagliflozin, dapagliflozin, and empagliflozin (collectively known asgliflozins) (Rose et al., 2009).

Objectives

Main objectives

To assess the Prevalence of Glycosuria among Patients at Buea, Regional Hospital South, West Region Cameroon.

Specific objectives

1. To determine the prevalence of glycosuria among patients with respect to age at Buea Regional Hospital.
2. To assess the prevalence of glycosuria among patients with respect to sex at Buea Regional Hospital.
3. To determine the prevalence of glycosuria among Patients with respect to occupation at Buea, Regional Hospital.

Research Questions

Main Research Question

What is the overall prevalence of Glycosuria among patients attending Buea regional hospital at Buea Regional Hospital South, West Region Cameroon?

Specific questions

1. What is the overall Prevalence of glycosuria among patients attending Buea Regional Hospital with respect to age?
2. What is the overall prevalence of Glycosuria amongst patients with respect to sex at Buea Regional Hospital?
3. What is the overall Prevalence of Glycosuria among Patient with respect to occupation among patients attending Buea regional Hospital?

Statement of Problem

Glycosuria is an abnormal condition of osmotic diuresis due to the excretion of glucose by the kidneys. The most common cause of glycosuria is untreated diabetes mellitus. The condition occurs when plasma glucose levels rise above the kidney threshold for glucose reabsorption.

At this point, the excess plasma glucose will not be reabsorbed in the proximal tubule and is excreted in the urine. When the excess glucose is excreted in the urine, it makes water enter the urine due to the high osmolarity of the urine.

This leads to the characteristic symptom of high urine volumes. Glycosuria can be either a physiologic response of the body to elevated blood glucose levels, such as alimentary glycosuria; or it can be a pathologic phenomenon.

When glycosuria occurs at normal plasma glucose concentrations due to decreased renal threshold for glucose reabsorption, it is referred to as renal glycosuria. Glycosuria has been targeted as a therapeutic option for diseases such as diabetes mellitus, as induction of glycosuria leads to better glycemic control and decreases the risk of cardiovascular diseases in diabetic patients (Physiol et al., 2011).

Definition of Terms

Glomerular: A small cluster or mass of blood vessels or nerve fibers.

Hypertension: High blood pressure is a common condition in which the long-term force of the blood against your artery walls is high enough that it may eventually cause health problems, such as heart disease.

Macro vascular disease: It is a disease of the large blood vessels,

Microalbuminuria: This is a term to describe a moderate increase in the level of urine albumin.

Prevalence: is a measure of the frequency of an illness, disease, or health conditions

Pulmonary Edema: fluid accumulation in the tissue and air spaces of the lungs. It leads to impaired gas exchange and may cause respiratory failure.