Ethiopian Medical Journal

Dracunculiasis, also named Guinea Worm Disease (GWD), is one of the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) caused by a parasitic nematode known as Dracunculus medinensis and has been known since antiquity as 'fiery serpent' from Israelites. It is transmitted to humans via drinking contaminated water containing infective copepods. Given, its feasibility for eradication, the Guinea Worm Eradication Program (GWEP) was launched in 1980 with the aim of eradicating the disease. Since its inception, GWEP has made an extraordinary progress in interrupting transmission...

INTRODUCTION: Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are important public health problems in Ethiopia. In 2013, the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) has launched a national NTD master plan to eliminate major NTDs of public health importance by 2020. Benchmarking the current status of NTDs in the country is important to monitor and evaluate the progress in the implementation of interventions and their impacts. Therefore, this study aims to assess the trends of mortality and Disability-adjusted Life-Years (DALY) for the priority NTDs over the last 25 years...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Myxomas occupying multiple chambers of the heart are extremely rare, being more common in familial cases. Recurrence of these tumors after surgical excision is also a rare condition, observed in about 3% of patients in sporadic cases. Systemic embolization especially to the brain is one of the common presentations of cardiac myxomas apart from intracardiac obstruction and systemic symptoms. We report an adolescent girl presenting with recurrent myxoma arising from multiple cardiac chambers with systemic embolization...

Genetic, gonadal, phenotypic and psychological genderis the basis for gender assignment to an individual. Derangement in genetic makeup, under or over exposure to sex hormones and problems related to sex hormone receptors will lead to abnormal development of the external and internal genitalia. Failure to respond for the endogenous androgen, Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome is one of the common causes of genital ambiguity and intersex. In this case series we have presented three girls from a family of seven children visited Tikur Anbassa Specialized Hospital (TASH) with a complaint of primary amenorrhea and diagnosed to have androgen insensitivity syndrome...

Introduction: Referral is part of patient care when done appropriately. Common reasons for referral include seeking expert advice, technical examination and/or intervention, care beyond the facility’s capacity. Objectives: Determine the rate, reason for and type of cases referred among patients seen at surgical Emergency Room of SPHMMC during May to July 2015. Patients and Methods: Cross sectional study was done at St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College Emergency Room, including all surgical patients seen in three months period...

Introduction: The survival of neonates with surgical conditions has greatly improved in developed countries, but still remains poor in developing countries. Available evidence suggests that this is due to several challenges encountered in neonates requiring surgical care. The aim of this study was to determine causes and outcomes of neonatal surgical admissions. Patients and Methods: retrospective review of medical records of neonates who were admitted and treated at Tikur Anbessa Hospital between January1, 2010 and December 31, 2014...

Introduction: Even though atrial fibrillation is a common risk factor of stroke which contributes to poor outcome, data concerning this association is scarce in African countries. This study assessed the prevalence of confirmed atrial fibrillation and its effect on outcome in stroke patients admitted to University of Gondar Hospital. Methods: Hospital based cross-sectional study by record analysis was done from December 2014 to February 2015. All adult stroke patients with documented head CT scan and ECG results admitted to university of Gondar hospital during June 2010 to May 2013 were included...

Introduction: Retention of patients on anti-retroviral treatment in Ethiopia is a challenge. Use of anti-retroviral treatment experienced patients to prepare and re-engage them when they miss follow-ups is recommended, but evidence on its effectiveness is limited. This study evaluated its effectiveness. Methods: : A retrospective cohort study in 10 randomly selected health facilities was conducted to compare outcomes before and after initiation of the adherence supporters program in HIV care and treatment from September 2001 to August 2013...

Introduction: Tuberculosis outbreaks emerge occasionally in long-term care facilities and various educational establishments. This study was designed to determine the five year overall prevalence and trend of tuberculosis and associated factors among students at Adama Science and Technology University and Addis Ababa University Sidist Kilo campus. Methods: A five-year retrospective study was conducted on students’ medical records of tuberculosis Directly Observed Treatment Short Course clinics from September 2009– July 2014...

Background: One-third of the world population is infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Most people exposed to M. tuberculosis showed no evidence of active disease. About 5-10% of people with latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) without HIV will progress to develop active tuberculosis (TB) in their lifetimes. This study was conducted to determine the magnitude of latent TB among the adult population at a teaching and referral Hospital in Ethiopia. Methods: This study was conducted at the Chest clinic of Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital during 2010-2013...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Reexpansion pulmonary edema following repair of missed diaphragmatic hernia is very rare .Here reported is a case of bilateral reexpansion pulmonary edema occurring after reconstruction of left sided post traumatic diaphragmatic hernia. The patient was re intubated and ventilated later put on supplemental oxygen via a catheter through the endotracheal tube followed by extubation and non re breather face mask to compensate for hypoxemia. He was given intravenous diuretics and inotropic support. Forty-eight hours after the acute event, the patient recovered with minimal residual hypoxemia...

Cysts commonly occurring in the neck include thyroglossal cyst and dermoid cysts in the midline, cystic thyroid nodules, branchial cysts and cystic Hygroma in the lateral neck. Hydatid cyst disease is commonly seen in the right lobe of the liver, the lung and rarely in other parts of the body. In general, cysts in the neck are not common in the second decade of life. In this article, we present a case of hydatid cyst presenting as left lateral cystic mass in an Ethiopian boy. The diagnostic difficulty, the need for diagnostic suspicion and consideration of hydatid cyst in the differential diagnosis and the management options are discussed...

Pregnancy is a state of high metabolic demand. Anemia and thrombocytopenia, commonly as a result of the normal dilutional effect of increased plasma volume during pregnancy, are frequently seen in pregnant women but are not severe enough to require intervention unless aggravated by deficiency of micronutrients. Nutritional deficiency related anemia is often seen in developing countries. In this study, we describe seven cases of severe thrombocytopenia, anemia and leukopenia (pancytopenia) from the same geographic locality and similar clinical presentation...

ackground: Ethiopia is one of the countries that has high burden of all forms of tuberculosis and there is no published report on computerized tomography scan and/or magnetic resonance imaging of intracranial tuberculomas. Objective : to review the clinical, computerized tomography and/or magnetic resonance imaging features of intracranial tuberculoma. Methods: retrospective review of patient’s medical records of patients operated for intracranial mass that had computerized tomography and/or magnetic resonance imaging brain scans and had histopathological diagnoses, at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital between January 2009 and June 2013...

Background: There is a growing global concern about the public health implications of the increasing population of the elderly. One main issue of concern is centered on how to address their mental health needs using homegrown interventions and services. We expect that important lessons on geriatric mental health issues would be brought to fore in this report. Methods: This is a four-year (2007-2011) retrospective report on the mental health services rendered to 938 clients aged 60 years and above at a Lagos based mental health treatment facility in Nigeria...

BACKGROUND: Renal diseases are major causes of morbidity and mortality in pediatric practice. Pediatric patients with renal disease, especially younger ones may present with nonspecific signs and symptoms unrelated to the urinary tract. Unexplained fever or failure to thrive may be the only manifestation. Most children with renal diseases in our hospital arrive very late either because of inadequate health awareness among the parents or failure of recognizing the symptoms of renal diseases at a lower health care level...

Background: Female genital mutilation is one of the harmful traditional practices among women and girls. More than 130 million girls and women live today who have undergone female genital mutilation. In Ethiopia, a high prevalence (74.3% national and 68.5% in Amhara region) has been reported. This study was aimed to identify determinant factors of female genital mutilation practices in East Gojjam Zone, Western Amhara, Ethiopia Methods: community based cross sectional study was conducted among 730 women aged 15-49 years and having children < 5 years old in September, 2014...