Common Factors Associated with Diabetic Cardiac Autonomic Neuropathy (DCAN); Patterns and Their Percentages among Diabetic Patients Diagnosed to Have Cardiac Autonomic Neuropathy in Bugando Zonal Referral Hospital in Mwanza, Western Zone of Tanzania

Introduction: DM has been implicated with multiple complications including diabetic cardiac autonomic neuropathy (DCAN), with a global burden ranging from 1% - 90% in type 1 DM and 20% - 73% in type 2 DM. Poor glycemic control, long duration of DM, and traditional cardiovascular risk factors and other factors have been associated with the development and progression of DCAN. This study was conducted to evaluate the common DCAN-associated risk factors and their percentages in diabetic patients to help clinical and public health practitioners address and tackle the problem of treatment and preventive measures to be established to reduce that life-threatening diabetic complication, i.e., DCAN. Objectives: To determine the Common factors associated with Diabetic Cardiac Autonomic Neuropathy (DCAN); Patterns and their percentages among Diabetic patients diagnosed to have Cardiac Autonomic Neuropathy in Bugando Zonal Referral Hospital in Mwanza, Western zone of Tanzania. Methodology: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted in the DM MOPD at BMC, with a sample size of 188 DCAN patients. A standard questionnaire was used for Data collection and summarized in a common Excel sheet. Data were analyzed using STATA version 15, DCAN associated factors were analyzed using bivariate logistic regression models. Results: Out of 188 patients with DCAN, Heart rate variability was the most common abnormality 38.9% (149) and Postural hypotension was the least 2.4% (9) among DCAN patients. Nevertheless, Obesity and resting tachycardia were significantly associated with DCAN. Though statistically significant, Age, HbA1C, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and DM duration were not analyzed in the final model because of collinearity with BMI and resting tachycardia. Conclusion: Resting Tachycardia, more than 10 years of Diabetic Miletus (DM), more than 10 years of Hypertension, age above 60 years, and hyperlipidemia, poorly controlled DM with HbA1C more than 7% were statistically found to be associated with DCAN development among DM patients. Immediately measures should be taken to address the situation, and most of them can be prevented and controlled with clinical or public health interventions to rescue DM patients against this life-threatening complication (DCAN) in communities at large.