| pubmed-article:3185273 | pubmed:abstractText | Case finding of pancreatic calcification by an X Ray of abdomen without preparation was systematically made for 183 diabetics treated in Cameroonese hospitals. Found 8 times (4.4%), these calcifications were detected usually in patients among them diabetes started before the age of 30 (35%), whatever sex or ethnic groups may be. All of them passed their childhood in rural environment. Alcoholic origin was obvious for 3 patients. For the 5 others, no etiology was formerly blamed. However, a woman had drunk traditional spirits from her childhood and an other has suffered from kwashiorkor. These 5 diabetics all had acetonuria and were poorly balanced. Only one presented some clinical stigmata f a pancreatic lesion. These results point out the existence in Cameroon of fibrocalcific pancreatic diabetes (FPD) considered as linked to malnutrition. Based on their observations, the authors discuss the classical features of such diabetes, and underline the role of alcoholic beverages in the genesis of these FPD. They also take into consideration the recent developments of physiopathology implicating the role of casava and of protein malnutrition. | lld:pubmed |
