Hepatitis B Virus Infection amongst Pregnant Women in North-Eastern Nigeria- A Call for Action

Background: It is well known that Hepatitis B virus infection is endemic in Nigeria. Even though studies have been carried out on Hepatitis B virus infection in different parts of Nigeria; and in different sub-groups of individuals; information regarding the prevalence of Hepatitis B virus infection in pregnant women is scanty especially from the North-eastern region of Nigeria. We therefore determined the seroprevalence of Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) amongst pregnant women in North Eastern Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was carried out. The setting was the ante-natal clinic of the Federal Medical Centre; Yola; Nigeria. The duration of the study was from July 2008 to December 2008. Two hundred and thirty-one consecutively recruited pregnant women were screened for Hepatitis B surface antigen. Positive samples were re-tested using ELISA to eliminate false positives. Their biodata were obtained using a questionnaire to establish the presence of possible risk factors such as blood transfusion; surgery; etc. Written informed consent was obtained from each woman. Results: Out of the 231 pregnant women tested; nineteen of them were seropositive for Hepatitis B virus infection giving an infection rate of 8.2. Women in the age group 25-29 years had the highest HBV infection rate. Conclusion: This study confirms a high seroprevalence of Hepatitis B virus infect ion amongst pregnant women. It is recommended that pregnant women should be routinely screened for Hepatitis B virus infection as part of antenatal care services

Hepatitis B Virus Infection amongst Pregnant Women in North-Eastern Nigeria- a Call for Action

Background: It is well known that Hepatitis B virus infection is endemic in Nigeria. Even though studies have been carried out on Hepatitis B virus infection in different parts of Nigeria; and in different sub-groups of individuals; information regarding the prevalence of Hepatitis B virus infection in pregnant women is scanty especially from the North-eastern region of Nigeria. We therefore determined the seroprevalence of Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) amongst pregnant women in North Eastern Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was carried out. The setting was the ante-natal clinic of the Federal Medical Centre; Yola; Nigeria. The duration of the study was from July 2008 to December 2008. Two hundred and thirty-one consecutively recruited pregnant women were screened for Hepatitis B surface antigen. Positive samples were re-tested using ELISA to eliminate false positives. Their biodata were obtained using a questionnaire to establish the presence of possible risk factors such as blood transfusion; surgery; etc. Written informed consent was obtained from each woman. Results: Out of the 231 pregnant women tested; nineteen of them were seropositive for Hepatitis B virus infection giving an infection rate of 8.2. Women in the age group 25-29 years had the highest HBV infection rate. Conclusion: This study confirms a high seroprevalence of Hepatitis B virus infect ion amongst pregnant women. It is recommended that pregnant women should be routinely screened for Hepatitis B virus infection as part of antenatal care services

Smokeless Tobacco Use in Adult Nigerian Population

The study aim was to establish the prevalence and determinants of smokeless tobacco use in Nigerian adults' population. Across-sectional survey of 1776 adults inYola; North-East Nigeria was carried out in June 2007.A modified World Health Organization (WHO) tobacco survey questionnaire was used for interview and data collection. Out of 1776 interviewed respondents; 133 (7.49) were user of smokeless tobacco. Snuffing of tobacco powder was the most common method of using smokeless tobacco (6.8). Fifteen (0.9) chewed tobacco while only 2(0.1) both chewed and snuffed tobacco. Social acceptance (21.8) was the major reason for using smokeless tobacco. Males; 5th and 6th decades of life; poor education; lower socioeconomic class; Margi; Hausa and Fulani tribes were the determinants of smokeless tobacco use.About 89.5of the smokeless tobacco users believed that smokeless tobacco was not harmful to their health. : Although the prevalence of smokeless tobacco use was low among Nigerian adult population in this study. Ignorance of the potential health dangers of smokeless tobacco was rampant therefore; concerted efforts should be made to discourage the use of all forms of tobacco rather than concentrating on cigarette smoking

Non-Motor Symptoms of Parkinson's Disease: Diagnosis and Management

Bacground: Non-motor symptoms (NMS) of Parkinson's disease (PD) are a key determinant of health; quality of life (QoL) and societal cost of PD. They are often less appreciated than motor symptoms but are important sources of disability for manyPDpatients. Methods:Literature search was performed using the reference databases Medline; Science Citation Index and EMBASE. The keywords used were 'non-motor symptoms'; Parkinson's disease; olfaction and constipation. Papers discovered by this search were reviewed; as were references cited therein. Results: Contrary to common perception; many NMS of PD occur early in PD and some may even predate thediagnosis of PD that is based on motor signs. These include olfactory deficit; sleep problems such as rapid eye movement behaviour disorder; constipation and the more recently described male erectile dysfunctionThere is compelling evidence that nonmotor symptoms of PD play a dominant role in the QoL and disability of PD patients and the QoLof their 'informal' carers. Effective clinical management of PD therefore demands that these symptoms be identified and to the extent possible treated

Non-Motor Symptoms of Parkinson's Disease: Diagnosis and Management

Non-motor symptoms (NMS) of Parkinson's disease (PD) are a key determinant of health; quality of life (QoL) and societal cost of PD. They are often less appreciated than motor symptoms but are important sources of disability for manyPDpatients. Literature search was performed using the reference databases Medline; Science Citation Index and EMBASE. The keywords used were 'non-motor symptoms'; Parkinson's disease; olfaction and constipation. Papers discovered by this search were reviewed; as were references cited therein. Contrary to common perception; many NMS of PD occur early in PD and some may even predate the diagnosis of PD that is based on motor signs. These include olfactory deficit; sleep problems such as rapid eye movement behaviour disorder; constipation and the more recently described male erectile dysfunction.There is compelling evidence that nonmotor symptoms of PD play a dominant role in the QoL and disability of PD patients and the QoLof their 'informal' carers. Effective clinical management of PD therefore demands that these symptoms be identified and to the extent possible treated

Delirium: Issues in Diagnosis and Management

Delirium is a disturbance of consciousness; cognition and perception that occurs frequently in medically ill patients. Although it is associated with increased morbidity and mortality; it is often not recognized and treated by physicians. Literature searches were conducted using MEDLINE with the following keywords/ phrases: delirium; acute confusion and management. Additional articles identified by hand-searching in major journals of medicine and psychiatry; and a review of references cited within these sources supplemented the search. In this article; the available published literature regarding the diagnosis; prevention and treatment of delirium is systematically reviewed. Prevention and treatment strategies do not need to be complex or expensive but require well-coordinated interventions from multiple disciplines; including nursing; psychiatry; neurology and primary care; as well as the cooperation and significant effort of family and friends. Atypical antipsychotic agents offer some advantages over haloperidol and in a limited number of studies appear safe and effective for delirium

Cigarette Smoking Habits among Adolescents in Northeast Nigeria

Tobacco smoking is a growing public health problem in the developing world. The health hazards of smoking are well documented; and prevention of smoking has been described as the single greatest opportunity for preventing noncommunicable disease in the world today. A cross-sectional survey was carried out to determine the cigarette smoking habits among adolescents in a rural setting in northeast Nigeria. One hundred and seventy-one (171) adolescents aged 12 to 17 were randomly selected from four districts of Yola south Local Government Area of Adamawa State. They responded to a modified version of the standard questionnaire recommended for surveying smoking habits in young people. Of 109 males; 44 (40) and 62 females fourteen (23) were current light smokers; with over 85of all smokers consuming fewer than 10 cigarettes a day. The prevalence of smoking in this study was 33.9. Over half of current smokers and ex-smokers started smoking between the ages of 13 and 15 years. The largest group of male and female smokers were influenced to start smoking by the relative influence of one or both parents; siblings; or friends; and only 25of males and 21.4of females were influenced by advertisements. Most respondents continued to smoke even when they were aware of the health hazards of smoking. Anti-tobacco education and awareness should be adopted in the curriculum of schools and colleges. All forms of tobacco advertising and promotional activities should be banned in Nigeria; and parents should be encouraged to adopt more responsible attitudes toward smoking in the home

Overview of Somatization-Diagnosis and Management

Background: Neurologists and general practitioners frequently encounter patients with inexplicable; unintentionally produced somatic complaints otherwise known as somatoform disorders. Methods: A literature search was performed including MEDLINE; as well as local and international journals using the following keywords/ phrases and cross referencing: somatoform disorder; somatization; medically unexplained physical symptoms. Results: Illness with excessive somatic preoccupation is difficult to diagnose or categorize reliably due to rigid diagnostic criteria that often overlap with several psychiatric disorders. Conclusion: Management of patients with dysfunctional somatoform disorders is complex and challenging; particularly when initiated in a neurology outpatient or inpatient setting. The acronym CARE-MD represents a comprehensive treatment regimen that can be used to decrease physician and patient frustration; dramatically minimise health care over utilization; and improve overall well-being for patients with somatoform disorders

Evaluation of Glutaraldehyde Test in the Diagnosis of Pulmonary Tuberculosis in Nigeria

In the developing world with scarcity of diagnostic facilities; the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) could often be difficult. Previous methods have proved inadequate; especially where TB is endemic. Serologic tests for the diagnosis of TB require advanced technology which is not readily available. The study therefore proposed to evaluate the usefulness (or otherwise) of the glutaraldehyde test (GT) in the diagnosis of PTB in this environment. Two hundred and ten consecutive consenting adults 18 years and above with newly diagnosed sputum smear positive PTB attending 4 government hospitals in the Lagos area were studied over one year. Age and sex matched controls from LUTH who had no symptoms or signs of TB were also studied. All cases had sputum smear examination (by the Ziehl-Neelsen method) and the glutaraldehyde test. Considering the normal gelification time of 215 seconds (at 1 SD); the glutaraldehyde test had a sensitivity; specificity; positive and negative predictive values of 92.40