Prevalence of Hypertension in a University Community in South West Nigeria

A worksite study of hypertension prevalence was carried out in a university community in Southwestern Nigeria. Overall crude prevalence was 21% in the respondent population. About 16% of these were already on treatment with medicines. The study established no significant (p>0.05) relationship between coffee consumption and hypertension.Prevalence was 32% in subjects with over 3 children, while among subjects witheye problem, diabetics and those who took local kola nutsand it was 18.6%, 1.9% and 7.4%, respectively. There is need for increased awareness of the disease and other cardiovascular risk factors within the populace and to encourage the possession or provision of self-measurement blood pressure devices

Malaria Prevention: Knowledge, Attitude And Practice In A Southwestern Nigerian Community

Assessing and analyzing local malaria problems are a prerequisite for successful control interventions. We sought to assess the knowledge of the symptoms of malaria, attitude towards preventive measures as well as treatment seeking behaviors among members of the Ile-Ife community in southwestern Nigeria.A cross sectional study was carried out using a questionnaire, which was self or researcher administered to community members of semi-urban Ile-Ife.Analysis of "what respondents will do first" during malaria attack showed that 35.5%, 0.9% and 13.4% of respondents will use synthetic anti-malarials, consult a herbalist and use local herb, respectively, while 27.3%, 1.7% and 18.2% will go to the hospital, take spiritual/ritual waters for cure and just pray, respectively, with 3.0% of the respondents indicating that they will ignore the signs. Factors influencing respondents' choice of malaria treatment and preventive methods included cost, religious beliefs, perceived safety, convenience and respondents' state of health for 22.7%, 5.4%, 20.8%, 26.5% and 24.6% of the respondents, respectively. The use of insecticide impregnated net are uncommon amongst the respondents (0%). Treatment seeking practice in malaria was related to level of education and religion. We found that convenience and the severity of the disease affected respondents' choice of treatment in more than 50% of the cases. We suggest that malaria public enlightenment efforts should be intensified, effective malaria preventive methods be made affordable and that support be provided to make malaria treatments at public hospitals free

Effects of autacoid inhibitors and of an antagonist on malaria infection in mice

The effects of p-chlorophenylalanine, an inhibitor of serotonin synthesis, indomethacin, an inhibitor of prostaglandin synthesis, cyproheptadine, a serotonin, bradykinin and histamine antagonist, were assessed separately and in combination with chloroquine (CQ) in Vom strains of Swiss albino mice (18-22 g) of either sex infected intraperitoneally with 1 x 10(7) Plasmodium yoelii nigeriensis-induced malaria. As prophylactic, these agents reduced from 31.9 ± 4.5 to 16.1 ± 8.1 percent the level of parasitemia relative to control but had no appreciable activity as curative agents when administered subcutaneously once daily for 4 days after 72 h of parasites innoculum in vivo. However, CQ alone and the combination of these agents with CQ in curative and prophylactic treatments significantly reduced (from 50.3 ± 5.8 to 4.9 ± 0.75 percent) the level of parasitemia (P < 0.05), which was taken only once 72 h after the parasites innoculum. The prophylactic result was shown to produce better results than the curative treatment. The data indicate that inhibitors and an antagonist can reduce the parasitemia load (the extent of damage and the severity of infection) as well as enhance the effects of CQ when combined with it for malaria therapy. The study reveals that the production of autacoids in established infection renders autacoid inhibitors and an antagonist ineffective for radical cure in malarial mice; however, selective inhibition of local hormones implicated in the pathological manifestations of malaria infection by autacoid inhibitors and an antagonist may be a possible pathway to reduce the severity of infection and the associated tissue damage and to enhance the efficacy of available anti-malarials.