Ethiopian Medical Journal

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Tuberculosis (TB) is a growing public health threat, particularly in the face of the global epidemics of multidrug resistance. Given the limited efficacy of the current TB vaccine and the recent clinical failure of the most advanced new TB vaccine candidate, novel concepts for vaccine design should be explored. Most T cell antigens in the human-adapted Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) are evolutionarily conserved and under strong purifying selection, indicating that host immune responses targeting these antigens might not be protective...

Kartagener's syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive genetic disorder that causes a defect in the action of the cilia lining the respiratory tract. Patients usually present with chronic recurrent rhinosinusitis, otitis media, pneumonia, and bronchiectasis caused by Pseudomonas infection. In this case report, we present a 12-year old female with Kartagener's syndrome from Tikur Anbessa Teaching Hospital which to our knowledge is the first of it's kind to be reported in Ethiopia. The clinical and imaging findings are discussed...

Colonic lipoma is a rare non-epithelial mesenchymal tumour which is the second most common benign tumour of the colon excluding hyper-plastic polyps. It is often small and asymptomatic but may become symptomatic and mimic malignant lesions as the size increases. This is a case report of a 68 year-old female patient who presented with lower abdominal pain, constipation and rectal bleeding of one year duration. Colonoscopy revealed a sessile tumour 40 cm from the anal verge with an inconclusive histology. After incising and removing the lipoma, the redundant mucosal fold was then resected...

Snakebite is an important public health challenge. Venomous snake bites cause significant morbidity and mortality if treatment measures, especially antivenom therapy, are delayed. We did a case series of 27 adult patients admitted after snakebite to the medical wards of Gondar University Hospital (GUH) from September 2013 to August 2014. The age range was from 15 to 74 years. The male to female ratio was 8:1. The majority (25) of patients presented after 12 hours of being bitten. Most of the bites occurred on the legs...

INTRODUCTION: Diabetes mellitus is becoming a common chronic disease in both developed and developing nations and is associated with significant cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality. The presence of hypertension in patients with diabetes mellitus doubles the risk of cardiovascular disease including coronary heart disease, congestive heart failure, ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, renalfailure and peripheral arterial disease. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the pattern of antihypertensive drug therapy among diabetic hypertensive patients in Zewditu Memorial Hospital Diabetic Clinic in Addis Ababa...

BACKGROUND: Tetanus, a disease that is largely preventable, is still a major public health problem in the developing world and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. There is a paucity of published literature on adult (non-neonatal) tetanus in this study area in Nigeria. METHODS: This was a study describing the clinical characteristics of patients who were clinically diagnosed with tetanus in Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH) Zaria, northwest of Nigeria between January 2001 and December 2014...

BACKGROUND: Injuries are a neglected health problem in developing countries. Ethiopia has a high incidence of road traffic accidents and trauma constitutes about half of surgical emergencies among patient seen at health facilities. The objective of this study was to determine the pattern of trauma among patient seen at emergency outpatient departments of public hospitals in northern Ethiopia METHODS: Retrospective data on patient seen at the hospitals during a one-year period (January 1, 2013-December 31, 2013) was collected...

BACKGROUND: Appendiceal mass is one of the complications of acute appendicitis. The management of patients with appendiceal mass is controversial and different treatment options have been suggested. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess the results of conservative management of patients with appendiceal mass followed by interval appendicecomy. METHODS: The study was a retrospective analysis of 73 medical records of patients with appendiceal mass who were managed conservatively between March 2007 and February 2014...

BACKGROUND: Valvular heart disease has been a significant cause of heart disease worldwide. In Ethiopia, it particularly affects young individuals and constitutes the major cause of cardiovascular disease. Factors associated with choice of treatment for advanced valvular heart disease are variable. The objective of this study is to review surgery done for Ethiopian patients with valvular heart disease. METHODS: We analyzed data on patients who had valve surgery and follow-up at the Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital cardiology unit...

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Hydatid cyst of the breast is extremely rare even in endemic areas and it only accounts for 0.27% of all hydatid cyst disease cases. It can either be a primary site or part of a disseminated hydatidosis. Surgery remains to be a treatment of choice. Only few reports are published in the literatures and most of the reported cases have been diagnosed postoperatively as it is not easy to reach at a definitive diagnosis with clinical examination and radiological investigations only. This is a case of an isolated hydatid cyst of breast in an 18-year old woman from the Amhara region, Ethiopia...

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a ftial and growing public health problem in Ethiopia. VL is recently reported outside the major endemic foci, the lowlands in the northwest and the Omo and Abaroba-plain, Segen and Woito valleys in the southwest. Here, we report a visceral leishmaniasis case from Benishangul-Gumuz Regional state near the Guba area. The patient had no history of travel to known VL endemic areas. The patient is a temporary farm laborer from West Go'jam Zone, Wanbermna District in Amhara Regional State...

BACKGROUND: Physiological range of clinically important hematological laboratory values and lipid profiles of healthy population in Ethiopia is not well assessed. OBJECTIVE: to determine hematologic and lipid profiles of healthy blood donors in Addis Ababa. METHODS: Red Cross Society located in Addis Ababa was selected as a study area. 336 donors; age range between 18-58 years participated. Venous blood sample was collected by tube containing Ehtylenediaminetetraaceticacid tri potassium (EDTA) for hematology test and sterile tube for lipid test...

OBJECTIVE: Chronic empyema is a serious problem and is often difficult to manage. Its incidence has dropped worldwide, but continues to pose health problems in low and middle income countries. This study has been conducted to assess the outcome of open thoracic window in patients with neglected chronic thoracic empyemain Ethiopian patients. METHODS: A six-year (June 2008 to October 2014) retrospective study was conducted on thirty five patients (ten females and twenty five males, age ranging from 30-70 years)...

BACKGROUND: Intussusception is one of the frequent causes of bowel obstruction in infants and toddlers (1). It involves invagination of a portion of intestine into another(2-4). The peak age of occurrence is between the age of 4 and 8 months. The aim of this study is to review the pattern of clinical presentation and seasonal variation of intussusception in our hospital, and to analyze the mode and outcomes of treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This is a four-year retrospective study of children aged 13 years and below who were admitted and treated for intussusception between January 2011 and December 2014 at the pediatric surgery unit of Tikur Anbesa Specialized Hospital (TAH) in Ethiopia...

BACKGROUND: The treatment response of HCV infection is dependent on genotype and stage of the disease. However, genotype pattern and treatment outcomes of HCV infection among Ethiopian patients has not been studied so far. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the common HCV genotypes and treatment outcomes among Ethiopian adult patients. METHOD: Adult patients aged 18 and above with HCV infection referred from various regions of the country were included in the study after written informed consent...

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BACKGROUND: An outbreak of a chronic liver disease of unidentified cause, known as "Unidentified Liver Disease (ULD)" by local communities was first observed in a rural village in Tigray, northern-Ethiopia in 2001. Little was known about the geographical extent, trend, and epidemiology of the disease. METHODS: The Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) by then Ethiopian Health and Nutrition Research Institute (EHNRI), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization, and Tigray Regional Health Bureaue established the ULD surveillance system in 2009 to characterize and monitor trends for this emerging disease and to identify cases for treatment and follow up...

Dyskeratosis congenita (DKC) is a rare, progressive bone marrow failure syndrome that is characterized by the triad of reticulated skin pigmentation, nail dystrophy and oral leukoplakia. Current evidence indicates that DKC is a disease of defective telomere maintenance, ribosome deficiency and protein synthesis dysfunction. Mortality is often associated with bone marrow failure (BMF), development of malignancy and other multisystem complications of the disease. Here we report two Ethiopian brothers with classical signs and symptoms of DKC...