West African Journal of Medicine

INTRODUCTION: Interprofessional collaboration is crucial to the optimal functioning of every health system because the complex nature of healthcare requires that health workers from different allied professions work as a team to deliver quality health to the patients. Identifying the enhancing factors and barriers to this synergy is essential to safe and efficient healthcare delivery. This study addresses this issue in Nigeria, where inter-professional rivalry is rife. OBJECTIVE: To determine the enablers of, and barriers to, interprofessional collaboration in Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi, Nigeria...

INTRODUCTION: The use of herbal medicine is common in the general population. However, it has not been well-studied among pregnant women in Nigeria, especially in the northeast. Knowledge of herbal medicine use in this population is important in improving maternal and child care. OBJECTIVES: 1. To determine the prevalence of herbal medicine use during pregnancy among the study population. 2. To determine the association between herbal medicine use and pregnancy-related outcomes...

INTRODUCTION: Globally, 36 million people are blind and 217 million people have moderate or severe distance vision impairment. Eighty-nine percent of vision-impaired people live in low and middle-income countries. To prevent progression to blindness, there is a need for early diagnosis and referral for treatment. At the heart of this are the Family Physicians who are the first port of call for our teeming population. OBJECTIVES: The main aim of this study is to assess the ophthalmic knowledge base of Family Physicians and the level of utilization of skills acquired during the ophthalmology rotation in their day-to-day practice...

INTRODUCTION: Overweight and obesity are important risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The prevalence of both has continued to rise not only among adults but also among adolescents at an alarming rate worldwide. Adolescent overweight and obesity are becoming challenging, yet under-recognised problems in many developing countries like Nigeria. The aetiology is rather complex; however, some factors have been identified as determinants in different studies worldwide. OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to determine the predictors of overweight and obesity among adolescents attending secondary schools in the Bauchi metropolis...

INTRODUCTION: Anaemia has been extensively studied in children and women of reproductive age. However, there are few data on anaemia and related conditions in the elderly from developing countries. OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence and severity pattern of anaemia, and assess the relationship between dietary lifestyle, hypoalbuminaemia, and anaemia in older persons. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study involving 378 patients aged≥60 years who presented at the General Outpatient Clinic...

INTRODUCTION: Malnutrition is a major public health problem in developing countries including Nigeria. Assessment of the nutritional status of children and the effect of family functioning on it will improve understanding of the magnitude of the problem and aid planning of appropriate interventions that will improve child health and development. OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study is to assess the effect of family functioning on the nutritional status of under-five children attending ATBUTH, Bauchi...

INTRODUCTION: Fear of falling is a loss of confidence in balance which affects the quality of life of the elderly. Falls in older people can result in disability, death, financial stress on the family, and higher medical expenses and a significant proportion of those who fall are said to be afraid of falling. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence and the factors associated with Fear of falling in the elderly attending the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt...

INTRODUCTION: Haematological malignancies like other cancers are on the rise. With the improved understanding of the biology of cancers, various biological molecules (biologics and biosimilars) are being discovered and used as supportive and/or specific treatment options. These novel treatments have revolutionized the care of cancer patients and significantly improved survival. While biosimilars are widely available, their use is still limited in some low- and middle-income countries, including Nigeria...

INTRODUCTION: Gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs) are neoplastic lesions that primarily affect the digestive tract and develop from interstitial cells of Cajal. Due to their malignant potential and personalized treatment, these lesions require histopathologic and immunohistochemical characterization. In this investigation, the sex, age, lesional sites of origin, histopathologic types, the prevalence of HER-2 expression, prognostic indices (based on tumour size and mitotic figures), expression of CD117 and DOG1, and characteristics of patients with GIST were all characterized...

INTRODUCTION: Though some studies showed biochemical and haematologic derangements in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB), but information with regards to the correlation between serum albumin and packed cell volume (PCV) is scarce. The aim of this study was to determine the correlation between serum albumin level and PCV in newly diagnosed patients with PTB at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH), Bauchi, Northeastern Nigeria. METHODOLOGY: This was a cross-sectional study of consecutive newly diagnosed patients with PTB who were Sputum smear-positive as determined by Gene Expert/Rif MTB machine and HIV-negative by 'Determine' test, that were recruited from the medical outpatient department (MOPD) and directly observed treatment short course (DOTS) clinic of ATBUTH, Bauchi...

INTRODUCTION: Ovarian lesions may present as enlargements of the ovary and may occur at any age. Non-neoplastic enlargements develop almost exclusively during the childbearing years. They may be asymptomatic or, in rare cases, cause acute symptoms due to complications and account for the most prevalent cause of hospital admissions. They frequently form a pelvic mass and potentially mimic an ovarian neoplasm. OBJECTIVE: To study the frequency and histopathological classification of non-neoplastic ovarian lesions in a tertiary institution in North-western Nigeria...

INTRODUCTION: Advancements in the care of patients with sickle cell anaemia have led to significant improvement in survival with many patients reaching adulthood. As they age, long-term complications of the disease manifest in them, notable amongst which is nephropathy which is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in them. There is limited information about sickle cell nephropathy and some biochemical markers of haemolysis that can detect it early in our setting. This study aimed to determine the relationship between some indirect markers of haemolysis and sickle cell nephropathy...

INTRODUCTION: Meningiomas are the most common neoplasm of the central nervous system. According to the WHO 2020 classification, there are fifteen subtypes that have been grouped into grades 1, 2, and 3. The WHO grade 1 meningiomas are generally grouped as benign while the WHO grade 2 and 3 tumours are grouped as malignant. Progesterone receptors and P63 are common immunohistochemical markers reported useful in the diagnosis, grading, and prognosis of meningiomas. This study seeks to determine the usefulness of these findings in our population...

INTRODUCTION: Rheumatic musculoskeletal disorders are a group of conditions affecting one or multiple joints of the body resulting in pain, swelling, stiffness, and loss of joint functions. Being a chronic condition that causes so much morbidity can precipitate psychological disorders, including depression. The comorbidity of depression with rheumatic disorder leads to increased morbidity, disability, and mortality. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of depressive disorder in rheumatic disorder and its correlates among the patients attending the Rheumatoid Clinic of ABUTH, Zaria...

INTRODUCTION: Non-adherence to antipsychotic medication is a key factor to poor treatment outcome, frequent relapse, poor quality of life and increased economic burden of mental illness. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence and associated factors of medication adherence among patients with schizophrenia on antipsychotic medications. METHODOLOGY: Through a cross-sectional survey, two hundred and nine patients with schizophrenia on antipsychotic medications were recruited through a systematic random sampling to participate in the study...

INTRODUCTION: Despite the considerable number of clinical studies conducted, questions on the importance of the determinants of outcome after ischaemic stroke still exits. METHODOLOGY: Eighty consenting acute ischaemic stroke patients presenting to the emergency unit of Federal Teaching Hospital Gombe, along with 80 age and sex-matched controls were recruited. All the subjects were examined after relevant clinical history and stroke severity was determined using the NIHSS score...

INTRODUCTION: Renal dysfunction is commonly seen in hospitalized stroke patients. It serves both as a risk factor for stroke and as a complication of stroke. Renal dysfunction is a poor prognostic factor for stroke and increases the risk of recurrence. Despite the above poor indices, there is a paucity of data on the prevalence of renal dysfunction in acute stroke patients in Nigeria. OBJECTIVE: It is against this background that this study was conducted to identify the prevalence and pattern of renal dysfunction among acute stroke patients who were managed at a Federal Teaching Hospital in Abakaliki Nigeria...

INTRODUCTION: Changes in the haematological indices could have implications for stroke risk, management plan, and outcome. There are limited data on the pattern of haematological parameters of acute stroke patients in Nigeria despite its impact on stroke risk, management, and outcome. OBJECTIVES: To determine the pattern and the prognostic implications of the haematological parameters in acute stroke patients managed over a nine-year period at a Tertiary Hospital in Abakaliki Nigeria...

INTRODUCTION: Upper gastrointestinal (UGI) endoscopy is considered a safe procedure performed for diagnosis, monitoring the course of disease, early detection of complications, treatment, and responses to therapeutic intervention. The indications have increased over the years. This study aimed to analyse the indications, findings, and safety of UGI endoscopy in our environment. METHODOLOGY: A retrospective study of consecutive patients who had UGI endoscopy at ATBUTH over the period of two years (2014 -2016)...

INTRODUCTION: About 9% of all persons living with HIV infection (PLWH) the world over were resident in Nigeria as of 2014 and Nigeria had the second largest HIV disease burden in the world after South Africa. Despite the introduction of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for the treatment of HIV infection, PLWH was frequently admitted to the medical wards on account of opportunistic infections, advanced HIV disease, and other complications. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine the HIV/AIDS treatment outcome in the medical wards of the only teaching hospital in Abia State, which in 2019, had a disease prevalence of 2% behind Akwa Ibom, Benue, and Rivers States in Nigeria...