The Benjamin Mkapa Hospital is a tertiary public hospital in Dodoma, the capital city of Tanzania. It was the second hospital in the country to perform kidney transplants but the first to do so with an entire Tanzanian staff in 2018.
Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) is the gold standard surgical treatment for moderate to severe lower urinary tract symptoms due to benign prostatic hyperplasia. However, data on surgical complications and functional adverse outcomes in Tanzania remain limited. This study assessed the incidence and factors associated with surgical complications and described functional adverse outcomes following TURP at Benjamin Mkapa Hospital (BMH). A retrospective cohort study was conducted using routinely collected data from men aged ≥ 40 years who underwent TURP at BMH between 2021 and 2023 with at least one year of follow-up. Patients with prior prostate or urethral surgery, neurogenic bladder, or incidental prostate cancer were excluded. Logistic regression was used to estimate crude and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) with 95
Introduction: Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) remains the gold standard surgical treatment for moderate to severe lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) secondary to benign prostate enlargement (BPE). Despite its effectiveness, TURP is associated with several perioperative complications which varies across settings. In Tanzania, evidence on complication rates and associated factors remains limited. This study assessed the prevalence and determinants of perioperative complications following TURP at Benjamin Mkapa Hospital between 2021 and 2023. Methods An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted using routinely collected data from the Medipro-5 and Mapping Tag ERX systems at BMH, included men aged ≥ 40 years diagnosed with BPH who underwent TURP and had at least one year of postoperative follow-up. Patients with prior prostate/urethral surgery, neurogenic bladder, or incidental prostate cancer were excluded. Descriptive statistics summarized patient characteristics. Modified Poisson regression with robust error variance estimated crude and adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for factors associated with complications, and p < 0.05 being considered statistically significance. Results Among 705 eligible men (mean age 69 ± 8.9 years), 18.7% experienced at least one complication. Ejaculatory dysfunction (10.4%) and urethral stricture (4.5%) were the most frequent complications. Based on the Clavien-Dindo classification: 10.4% were grade I, 2.3% grade II, 7.6% grade III, and 0.6% grade IV. In adjusted analysis, increasing age (aPR = 1.11; 95% CI: 1.11–1.13), catheterization > 3 days (aPR = 3.10; 95% CI: 1.58–6.06), hypertension (aPR = 1.30; 95% CI: 1.09–1.24), and diabetes (aPR = 1.85; 95% CI: 1.22–2.80) were significantly associated with higher prevalence of complications. However, TURP mode showed no significant association (p = 0.575) Conclusion Nearly one-fifth of men undergoing TURP at BMH developed postoperative complications, mostly mild but clinically important. Older age, prolonged catheterization, hypertension, and diabetes increased complication risk. Strengthening perioperative optimization may improve outcomes
Introduction and importance: Primary colonic lymphomas are rare malignancies that mainly occur in men in their fifth to seventh decades, accounting for less than 1% of colorectal cancers. Most are B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas, with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) being the most common subtype. Diagnosis is often challenging due to nonspecific symptoms, and management typically relies on systemic immunochemotherapy. Surgery retains a vital role in selected cases, particularly those with complications or localized disease. We present an interesting case of a 17-year-old girl with primary colonic DLBCL presenting with intussusception, who was treated at Ocean Road Cancer Institute in Tanzania. Case presentation: A 17-year-old female of African origin experienced chronic abdominal pain and a loss of appetite for 6 months. An ileocolic intussusception was diagnosed through a CT scan and intraoperative findings, and a right hemicolectomy was performed. Histopathological examination of the resected specimen revealed DLBCL of the colon, with immunohistochemistry positive for CD20 and CD45, confirming a diagnosis of primary colorectal lymphoma. Later, the patient received systemic chemotherapy with R-CHOP for eight cycles. She is clinically stable and has been under follow-up for the past year. Conclusion: Primary colonic DLBCL in adolescents is exceedingly rare. This case presents unique features such as chronic abdominal pain and anorexia, which can lead to misdiagnosis due to a broad differential. There is a need to provide knowledge of primary colon lymphoma to ensure early diagnosis and favorable outcomes.
Vaccination prevents an estimated 4-5 million deaths globally each year, including many among children under five. However, complete childhood vaccination coverage remains low in Sub-Saharan Africa, including Tanzania. This study examined complete basic vaccination coverage and associated factors among Tanzanian children aged 12-23 months. Analytical cross-sectional study of the 2022 Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey data was conducted. The sampling frame was stratified by geographic region and urban/rural areas, using a two-stage sampling method that selected primary sampling units based on census enumeration areas, followed by household selection using probability systematic sampling. Multilevel logistic regression, accounting for the complex survey design, was used to identify individual and community-level factors associated with complete childhood vaccination. Adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% Confidence intervals (CI) were used to estimate the strength of association. The prevalence of complete basic childhood vaccination was 52.5% (95%CI: 49.6 -55.3). Among these children, coverage for individual vaccines was high, with 86.5% receiving the first dose of measles and 91.0% receiving (Bacillus Calmette-Guérin) BCG. However, the percentage receiving the full dose was lower for polio (58.9%) and 90.0% for Diphtheria, Pertussis, and Tetanus (DPT). Mothers with primary, secondary/higher education, in middle wealth quintile, had more than four antenatal care (ANC) visits, had 1-2 under-five children had lower odds to completely vaccinate their children. At the community level, mothers in western, central zones and Zanzibar had higher odds to vaccinate their children. Complete basic childhood vaccination coverage in Tanzania was suboptimal and associated with various factors including maternal education, middle wealth, more ANC visits, and fewer young children exhibited higher odds of vaccination. Western, central zones, and Zanzibar showed higher coverage. Targeted interventions addressing education, wealth, ANC, family size, and regional disparities would be crucial to improve vaccination rates in Tanzania.
