West African Journal of Medicine

INTRODUCTION: Empyema thoracis is a debilitating disease that still constitutes a significant burden among thoracic surgical diseases in our environment. It sometimes occurs secondary to ruptured lung abscess with varying degrees of lung destruction and bronchopleural fistula. CASE REPORT: A 65-year-old woman presented to our unit with a two-month history of cough which subsequently became productive of purulent sputum and posture-dependent, and fever, with progressive dyspnea on exertion...

BACKGROUND: In the last few decades, the global disease epidemiology shift has resulted in the preponderance of noncommunicable diseases such as Metabolic Syndrome (MetS). Globally, an increasing prevalence is reported among children and adolescents in whom the condition was once rare. There is a dearth of data in Nigeria on MetS, especially among normal-weight adolescents. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence and risk factors of MetS among normal-weight adolescents attending secondary schools at Mushin Local Government, Lagos...

BACKGROUND: Un-investigated dyspepsia has remained a common encounter among patients seen in primary care in sub-Saharan Africa. A preventive approach through counselling patients on modifications of lifestyle factors related to dyspepsia could be a cost-effective approach to dyspepsia management in primary care in low- and middle-income settings. OBJECTIVES: The objectives were to describe the sociodemographic patterns of adult patients with un-investigated dyspepsia in the Family Medicine Clinics, Federal Medical Centre, Gusau, Nigeria, to describe the pattern of lifestyle factors among adult patients with un-investigated dyspepsia, to determine the relationship between lifestyle patterns and un-investigated dyspepsia and to describe the specific food types that precipitate dyspepsia among the respondents...

BACKGROUND: Seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) is an effective strategy for reducing malaria morbidity and mortality in children aged 3-59 months in areas with seasonal malaria transmission. Sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine plus amodiaquine is given to an eligible child at monthly intervals during the peak malaria transmission season. The aim of this study was to determine the level of compliance with SMC guidelines by community drug distributors during SMC implementation in Kwara State...

BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with haematological changes, the commonest being anaemia. The number and function of white blood cells (WBC) and platelets are equally affected. Iron deficiency is a common cause of anaemia in the CKD population and anaemia has been associated with reduced cardiac function, increased rates of hospitalization, morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to determine the haematological indices and iron status among pre-dialysis CKD patients...

BACKGROUND: Surgical Site Infection (SSI) remains the most common cause of Healthcare-Associated Infections (HCAIs). In particular, contaminated and dirty abdominal wounds are attended by a high rate of SSI which in turn is associated with a huge burden on patients, caregivers and the entire health care system. OBJECTIVE: To compare SSI rates following the use of iodine-impregnated adhesive incise drapes (Ioban) with routine conventional drapes in contaminated and dirty abdominal surgical wounds in a Nigerian tertiary hospital...

BACKGROUND: Robust monitoring and reporting systems for rabies are lacking thus increasing the risk of underreporting. Highlighting the rabies cases brings to bear the needed urgent attention for more efforts at preventing and controlling the disease. OBJECTIVE: To describe the epidemiological characteristics of patients managed for clinical rabies at the largest referral facility in Ghana. METHODS: A retrospective single-center hospital-based chart review and data extraction were conducted for persons managed for clinical rabies infection at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital from January 2008 to December 2019...

BACKGROUND: Impairment of kidney function is one of the long-term sequelae of hypertension and it contributes to increased morbidity and mortality in hypertensive patients. Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is a common complication of hypertension which can worsen the outcome in affected patients. This study was designed to compare kidney function in hypertensive patients with LVH with that in hypertensive patients without LVH. METHODS: The study was conducted among hypertensive patients attending cardiology clinics at two tertiary hospitals in Nigeria...

BACKGROUND: The introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has decreased the morbidity and mortality associated with HIV infection; however, this survival advantage is not free from complications. HIV patients are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease compared with the general population, and right ventricular systolic dysfunction is said to be associated with worse outcomes. We, therefore, sought to assess right ventricular systolic function using tricuspid annular plain systolic excursion (TAPSE) among HIV patients on HAART and its relationship with viral load and CD4 cell count...

BACKGROUND: Studies on healthcare professionals' knowledge about the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) are scarce. Therefore, we assessed the knowledge and practice of the NHIS referral system among Medical and Dental practitioners in a tertiary hospital in Northwest Nigeria. METHODS: This cross-sectional study involved 242 medical and dental practitioners randomly selected from nine departments for over 6-weeks. A structured self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data...

OBJECTIVE: Nigeria experienced many waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study compared the clinical presentations and mortality among hospitalized patients during the first and second waves of the pandemic in Lagos State, Nigeria. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted. Deidentified medical records of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients admitted into 15 isolation centers in Lagos, Nigeria between February 27, 2020, and September 30, 2020 (first wave) and October 1, 2020, and April 30, 2021 (second wave) were reviewed...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: Control of intraocular pressure continues to be the mainstay of the management of primary open-angle glaucoma. It is also one of the key factors to consider in the diagnosis and risk of conversion of ocular hypertension to glaucoma (POAG). Medical management of IOP control is central to the treatment of POAG especially in resource-poor countries. AIM: This study aimed to demonstrate the non-inferiority of a fixed combination of front-line drugs in the medical management of glaucoma (latanoprost and timolol) compared to concomitant use of the same drugs...

BACKGROUND: Acrometastasis is an unusual presentation that is associated with a poor prognosis. SUMMARY OF CASE: We report a case of an advanced breast cancer in a Nigerian woman, with clinical, radiological and histopathological features of lung, brain, and distal phalanx metastases. We report this case to highlight the need to have a high index of suspicion for acrometastasis as well as to emphasize the effect and challenges of managing metastatic breast cancer in a low-income country...

A major complication of acute ischemic stroke is death and disability. The emergence of reperfusion therapy in form of thrombolysis and endovascular thrombectomy has led to the reversal of this trend in high-income countries. Low- and middle-income countries are yet to benefit maximally from these time-bound treatment options due to some limitations. We intend to highlight some of these in this report. We report an 80-year-old male patient with hypertension and firstdegree AV block admitted 3 hours after the onset of stroke with National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score of 13 and Medical Research Council (MRC) muscle power grade 3 in both the left upper and lower limb...

BACKGROUND: Radioactive seeds implant is a novel option in the developed world for the treatment of organ-confined prostate cancer; however, it is a rare procedure in developing countries, especially in sub-Saharan African countries like Nigeria. The first prostate brachytherapy in Nigeria was performed in 2019 at La'Newton Oncology Clinic using low-dose radioactive iodine-125. The side effects on patients that were treated in three years of its existence in Nigeria are documented in this study...

BACKGROUND: Sickle cell anaemia (SCA) has been shown to have adverse effects on growth and sexual development. Recent Nigerian studies have reported a declining trend in the age of sexual maturation and menarche in haemoglobin AA (HbAA) individuals. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the sexual maturation of female patients with SCA aged 10 to 19 years seen at Lagos University Teaching Hospital Idi-Araba, Lagos and Sickle Cell Foundation. METHODS: It was a cross-sectional study involving 140 girls with SCA (subjects) and an equal number of girls with HbAA (controls) who were matched for age and socio-economic class over a fivemonth period...

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis B and C viral infections are among the common infectious diseases with global public health importance. Nigeria is among the countries identified to be hyper-endemic for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. This study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of HBV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections among healthcare seekers at Bingham University Teaching Hospital, Jos, Nigeria, to increase awareness among the populace and sensitize public health stakeholders. METHODS: A retrospective study that involved data abstraction from the medical laboratory records of patients seeking care at Bingham University Teaching Hospital...

BACKGROUND: Globally, more than 350 million people live with viral hepatitis, out of which over 20 million are in Nigeria. The prevalence of anxiety, depression and stress among patients with viral hepatitis in the primary care setting is not well established. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence and factors associated with depression, anxiety and stress among hepatitis patients in a primary care clinic in North Central Nigeria using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ2), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD 2) and Kessler 6 scales respectively...