ABSTRACT
In Africa, epidemiological data on the effect of the HIV epidemic on the occurrence of lymphomas are scanty. The 1990s witnessed the alarming rates of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria. The prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria increased from 1.8% in 1991 to 4.4% in 2005. The aim of this study was to determine whether there have been any changes in the frequency and pattern of lymphomas in view of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the country. This is a retrospective study of all lymphoma cases diagnosed during 1991-2005. The prevalence of lymphomas declined from 1.4% to 0.7% of surgical biopsies during 1991-2005. There was a decline in the proportion of high-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma and Burkitt’s lymphoma from 79.1% and 45.8% respectively to 21.1% and 13.6% respectively. There is a suggestion that the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the country may not have influenced the pattern of occurrence of both major histomorphological types of lymphoma in Ibadan.
ABSTRACT
Acute leukaemia are usually rapidly progressive with death often occurring in a few weeks to a few months in untreated patients as a result of abnormal hematopoietic function as well as impaired immune response. The risk of relapse which remains in 20 of patients in remission calls for more research on acute leukaemia. This study therefore; evaluated the plasma levels of nitric oxide (NO); interleukin-4 (IL-4); interferon-gamma (IFN-?) and immunoglobulin classes (IgA; IgG; IgM; IgE) in twenty-five (25) patients with acute leukaemia (AL) and twenty-five (25) apparently healthy controls. The mean levels of plasma IgA; IgG and IgM were not significantly elevated in leukaemia patients compared with control. However; the mean plasma levels of IgE; NO; IL-4 and IFN-? were significantly elevated in leukaemia patients compared with controls. It could therefore be concluded from this study that humoural immunity is not depressed in acute leukaemia patients