Knowledge and impact of diabetes in patients in a tertiary clinic in Southeast Nigeria

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic non-communicable disease (NCD) of public health importance; as it has become a global epidemic requiring the efforts of caregivers and patients for effective management and prevention. This has necessitated the inclusion of diabetes education as an essential component of diabetes care. The aim of this study was to determine the knowledge of diabetes and the impact of this knowledge on patient management; with a view to making recommendations on how to improve management and treatment outcomes. This was a prospective cross-sectional study including all previously diagnosed patients with diabetes who attended the Outpatient Endocrinology Clinic of the Department of Internal Medicine; Federal Medical Centre; Owerri; Imo state; Nigeria during the period of the study. One hundred and three (103) subjects consisting of 44 males and 59 females aged 20-80 years participated in the study. Most had had diabetes for 5 years or less; and about 40% did not know what diabetes meant. Approximately 80% knew the names of their drugs. Diet was the only lifestyle modification adopted by the respondents. They had good social disclosure attitudes. In conclusion; the patients displayed a good knowledge of the drugs used in their management; and a positive impact of their knowledge in the area of diet control and disclosure attitudes. There was still a poor knowledge of the cause of diabetes; which cannot easily be overlooked; as it is significant to the total management of the patient. A nationally adopted programme of structured education for people with diabetes is recommended

Prevalence and severity of pterygium among commercial motorcycle riders in south eastern Nigeria

Background: Pterygium is common among outdoor workers who are daily exposed to sunlight and dust due to repeated conjunctival /corneal drying and microtrauma especially in the tropics. Commercial motorcyclists in Nigeria are outdoor workers who spend the greater part of the day outdoors under the intense heat and dust characteristic of this part of the world and would therefore be largely predisposed to developing this conjunctival disorder. Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence and severity of pterygium among these workers and relate these findings to their duration of work. Methods: A cross sectional study with a multi stage random sampling design was used to choose the 615 subjects enrolled in the study. Results: The prevalence for pterygium was 19.3 (206 eyes) with stage 1 occurring mostly (52) followed by stage 2(46). Pterygium was common among riders who had been riding for 5 years or less. The relationship between duration of riding and pterygium severity was significant (p=0.009). This prevalence was unaffected by the use of regular sun glasses (p=0.188). Conclusion: A strong relationship exists between commercial motorcycle riding and development of pterygium not affected by using regular sunglasses. We recommend that helmets with full face shields and/or proper UV protected riding goggles where the helmets have no face shield be enforced by the regulation bodies so as to reduce the prevalence of these disorders