Journal of Medical Investigation and Practice

Plain radiographs of diabetic foot ulcer: Experience from two tertiary health facilities in the Niger-Delta region of Nigeria.

MO Nkpozi, VE Gomba , BC Ubani — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Complications of diabetes mellitus (DM) can be acute or chronic. Diabetic foot ulcerations are, often, indications for admissions in the medical wards. A radiological examination is usually requested for in diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) among other investigations. Information on the pattern of plain radiographs of diabetic foot ulcer in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria is not known. This was a prospective descriptive study in which consenting diabetic patients with foot ulcer admitted in the medical wards and who had plain radiographs of the affected foot were recruited into the study between March 2020 and February 2022 in the two tertiary institutions of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Relevant data obtained were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0 software. The most frequent plain radiograph of the diabetic foot ulceration was soft tissue swelling/cellulitis and osteomyelitis. The difference in the amputation extent of the different radiographic findings was statistically significant and no patients billed for amputation died. It is recommended that selected diabetic patients with foot ulcer be subjected to radiological examinations as it is the only cheap and easily available means of making a diagnosis of osteomyelitis in foot ulcer and who should need lower limb amputation.

Assessment of knowledge, attitude and practice on child Adoption amongst women attending infertility clinics in Abia State University Teaching Hospital, Aba, Abia State, Nigeria.

Thu, 03 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Introduction: Adoption is alternative and permanent legal transfer of all parental rights of a baby from one person or couple to another. Study assessed knowledge, attitude and practice of adoption among women attending infertility clinics in Abia State University Teaching, Aba.

Methods: Semi-structed questionnaire was administered to 381 women attending infertility clinics from May 2018 to January 2019 at ABSUTH Aba.

Results: Knowledge of child adoption 345 (90.6%) and practice 272 (71.4%) were high while attitude 117 (30.7%) was low. Majority of respondents were Igbo 339 (89%) and had good knowledge more than other tribes. The difference was statistically significant. Respondents with greater than 5 years duration of infertility 103 (27%), wives who were presumed as cause of infertility 55 (14.5%) had positive attitude towards adoption more than others. Respondents with tertiary education 146 (38.3) Igbo tribe 269 (70.6%), primary type of infertility 137 (36%) and wives presumed cause of infertility 116 (30.4%) had good practice more than respondents with lower education. The difference is statistically significant. Respondents with primary type of infertility 145 (37.5%), with greater than 5 years of duration of infertility 81 (21.2%) and wives presumed as cause of infertility 28 (7.3%) showed willingness for adoption more than other respondents. The difference is statistically significant. Type of infertility is the only socio-demographic variable that had association with willingness to adopt. This is statistically significant (r = .419: p<.05)

Conclusion: Knowledge of child adoption was high among respondents but willingness to adopt was low.

Prevalence of Dysglycaemia among treatment-naïve Human Immunodeficiency virus seropositive patients in Uyo, Nigeria.

Thu, 03 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Introduction: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection, as well as the use of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) have been linked with the development of various glucose abnormalities, including Diabetes Mellitus (DM). The study aimed at determining the prevalence of Impaired Fasting Glucose (IFG), Impaired Glucose Tolerance, (IGT) and DM in HAART-naïve HIV-seropositive patients in Uyo, Nigeria and correlate these glucose abnormalities with their clinical and immunologic status.

Methods: A cross-sectional comparative study of 210 participants, composed of 105 HAART-naïve HIV-seropositive patients (group A), and equal number of sex-and age-matched HIV-negative group, (group B). Pre-tested interviewer administered questionnaires and hospital records were used for data collection. Fasting plasma glucose and Oral Glucose Tolerance Tests were performed for the respondents. The results were analyzed, using SPSS v 20.

Results: There was no difference in the age and gender distribution between both groups (p=0.880 for age and p=0.943 for gender). Impaired Fasting Glucose (IFG), Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT), DM and dysglycaemia (IFG and DM) were significantly more prevalent in group A than group B [16.2% versus 3.8% (95% CI 1.582 to 15.041) for IFG, 11.4% versus 2.9% (95% CI 1.200 to 16.033) for IGT, 8.6% versus 1% (95% CI 1.213 to 78.397) for DM, and 24.8% versus 4.8% (95% CI 2.290 to 17.060) for dysglycaemia]. Independent associations with dysglycemia included clinical stage 2 of HIV disease (p=0.01) and family history of DM (p=0.01).

Conclusion: There is a significantly higher prevalence of dysglycaemia in HAART-naïve HIV-seropositive patients in Uyo, when compared with HIV-negative group.

Identifying hazardous alcohol consumption among the elderly in a rural community in Imo State, Nigeria.

Ijeoma Nduka, Chinyere Aguocha, Irene A. Merenu — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Background: Hazardous drinking patterns are of public health importance especially among the elderly. Interventions that target this age group are available which aims at complete cessation of alcohol consumption. This study was therefore carried out in Ifakala community in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo state, Nigeria to identify hazardous alcohol consumption in the elderly.

Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. Participants were selected using convenient sampling due to the number of people aged 60 years and above. A total of 77 persons gave consent to participate in the study and were recruited. Data was collected using the AUDIT screening tool administered by the researchers. Scores from 7 to 15 were classified as hazardous alcohol use. Data is presented in frequency tables. Chi-square was used to test association between categorical variables. P-value of <0.05 was taken to be statistically significant.

Results: Among the respondents, 47 (61.0%) were males, while 30 (39.0%) were females. Majority were 60-62 years of age (41.6%) while only 7(9.1%) were 69-71 years. Sixty respondents were married, 21 (27.3%) lived with their spouse. All respondents in this study consumed alcohol in the last 12 months of the study. Males consumed more alcohol than females which was statistically significant (X2=10.82, P=0.008). AUDIT scores of 7-15 was found in 35 (45.5%) of the respondents showing they were hazardous drinkers and in zone II.

Conclusion: Hazardous alcohol use was seen among the elderly. There is need to develop programmes targeted at stopping or moderating alcohol intake in this group.

The assessment of the mental health status of school children in Umuahia, South-East Nigeria.

Thu, 03 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Background: The global burden of Mental Health Disorders (MHD) in children has continued to remain high. Despite this, it is unfortunate that the assessment of the mental health status of children is persistently ignored, especially in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMIC) such as Nigeria. It is also unfortunate that, knowledge of the burden of MHD among children in Umuahia, South-East Nigeria is deficient.

Aim: This study aimed to assess the mental health status of school children attending primary or secondary schools in Umuahia, South-East Nigeria, through the determination of the prevalence and types of MHD among the children.

Method: It was a school-based, cross-sectional and descriptive study of 384 apparently healthy school children aged 2-17 years attending primary or secondary schools in Umuahia, who served as subjects. Having met the inclusion criteria, a multi-stage random sampling method was used to enrol the subjects into the study. Ethical approval, informed consent and assent (for subjects older than 7 years) were obtained prior to the commencement of the study. The socio-demographic variables of the subjects were obtained and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was used to assess their mental health status.

Results: The highest proportion of the subjects belonged to the age group 6-9 years. Males accounted for 206 (53.6%) while females accounted for 178 (46.4%) of the subjects, resulting in a male-to-female ratio of 1.16:1. Among the subjects, 45 which represents 11.7% had MHD, evidenced by abnormal scores on the SDQ. Among the subjects with MHD, peer relationship disorder, with a prevalence of 73.3%, was the most common type of MHD in the subjects. Other types of MHD, in a descending order of prevalence, were emotional (44.4%), conduct (22.2%), and hyperactivity/inattention (17.8%) disorders.

Conclusion: This study demonstrated a high prevalence of MHD among school children in Umuahia, with peer relationship disorders as the most common type.