Early-onset developmental impairments among infants attending the routine immunization clinic at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria.

Developmental disorders are frequently overlooked in the developing countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Early identification of developmental delays (DDs) is critical to optimal outcomes. This study set out to determine the proportion of children who are at risk of DDs among infants attending immunization clinics at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria. Infants 6 weeks to 12 months of age (median age 6 months) who presented for routine immunization were screened for DDs using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire. A total of 587 infants [312 (53.2%) males] were enrolled. A total of 198 (33.7%) children showed signs of DDs. For the domains of communication skills, fine motor skills, gross motor skills, problem solving/cognition skills and personal/social skills, the prevalences of DDs were 7.5%, 15.0%, 10.7%, 14.1% and 14.8%, respectively, and 14.3% had global DDs. Factors that significantly predicted DDs included prematurity (odds ratio [OR] 2.64 [95% confidence interval {CI} 1.45 to 2.05]) and a history of perinatal asphyxia (OR 1.74 [95% CI 1.77 to 2.49]). There is a need to incorporate routine developmental screening into the Nigerian healthcare system for timely recognition of DDs and prompt interventions.

Co-existing sickle cell anaemia and inflammatory bowel disease: case report and review of the literature.

Sickle cell anaemia (SCA) is a chronic haemolytic anaemia associated with vaso-occlusive painful crises which may affect several systems including the gastro-intestinal system, resulting in abdominal pain. The concurrence of inflammatory bowel disease and haemoglobinopathy is rare. No previously reported concurrent cases of both SCA and ulcerative colitis (UC) in sub-Saharan Africa were found in the literature. A 16-year-old girl with concurrent SCA and UC is presented. She was admitted to University College Hospital, Ibadan with a 1-year history of recurrent peri-umbilical pain and bloody stools. These symptoms were mainly attributed to SCA at the referring hospital, and she was managed for chronic tropical diarrhoea without a remarkable clinical response. This case illustrates the concurrent presentation of SCA and ulcerative colitis which led to the missed and delayed diagnosis of ulcerative colitis.

Knowledge, utilization, and accessibility of child welfare card among caregivers in a tertiary center in South West Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: The Child Welfare Card (CWC) contains the records of a child's immunization and information on the other aspects of the child's health, including growth curves and home treatment of diarrheal disease to mention a few. How easily retrievable these records are and what influence the cards have on parents/caregivers regarding the child's nurture are uncertain in our environment. AIM: The present study was aimed at assessing the parents/caregivers' knowledge and utilization of CWCs as well as the health-providers' accessibility of the card in the hospital. METHOD: This study was a cross-sectional descriptive one that involved the parents/caregivers of children aged 60 months and below, attending the children's clinics and wards in a tertiary center. We collected the relevant information, including the sociodemographic data of the parents/caregivers, their knowledge, and assessed the utilization of CWC. The analysis of the categorical data was performed with the IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (S.P.S.S) version 23.0 for windows. P values < 0.05 were considered significant. RESULTS: Of the 377 parents/caregivers enrolled in the study, good knowledge of the contents of the CWC was demonstrated by 82 (21.8%) while 78 (20.7%) made the cards available to the health care providers. Eighty (21.2%) made adequate use of the cards at home. A greater number of parents/caregivers from the higher social class had good knowledge of the intervention contents of the CWC (P = 0.005). The accessibility of the cards to the health care-providers was significantly higher among the older parents/caregivers (P = 0.010), those with a good knowledge of CWC (P = 0.020) and parents/caregivers from higher social class (P = 0.001). Subjects with good knowledge were 2.4 times (OR = 2.4, 95% CI = 1.4-4.2) more likely to utilize the intervention contents in the CWC. CONCLUSION: The overall knowledge, utilization, and accessibility of the CWC were poor. Parents/caregivers with good knowledge were more likely to utilize the information on the CWC compared with participants with poor knowledge.

Childhood acute glomerulonephritis in Ibadan Nigeria

Background: Acute glomerulonephritis (AGN) is an important cause of mortality and morbidity in children in developing countries while its incidence has declined in the developed world. This study was to document its present impact in our setting.Aim: To evaluate the sociodemographic features and clinical outcomes in children hospitalized for AGN in the Paediatric Nephrology Unit of the University College Hospital, Ibadan.Subjects and Methods: This was a descriptive analytical study of children aged 2 to 14 years admitted with AGN between 2007 and 2019. Their sociodemographic data, clinical features, complications and outcome were analysed.Results: AGN accounted for 116 (8.9%) of new renal cases admitted over the period. Seventy-four (63.8%) were male, mean age (SD) was 8.2 (3.3) years and peak age incidence between 5 and 9 years. Average annual hospital incidence rose from 4-5 new cases to 8-9 new cases/annum with an upsurge to 17 cases in 2019. Highest yearly monthly incidence was between June and December. Forty -five out of 50 (90%) evaluated subjects were in the middle/ low socioeconomic classes. Stage 2 hypertension occurred in 30/50 (60%) with hypertensive crises in 24%. RPGN occurred in 6/50 (12%) of cases accounting for 5 of the 8 dialysed patients and 4 of the 5 deaths. The case fatality rate was 4.3%.Conclusion: The study showed a progressive increase in the hospital incidence of AGN.RPGN was a major risk factor for death in children with AGN and therefore requires a high index of suspicion and an appropriate early intervention

Steroid response in primary childhood nephrotic syndrome in a tropical african environment.

BACKGROUND: Earlier studies on childhood nephrotic syndrome (NS) in tropical Africa showed steroid resistance in the majority. More recent studies show a variable picture, necessitating a re-evaluation. This study was aimed at determining the current pattern of steroid response in childhood NS, in an environment known to be dominated by steroid resistance. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This prospective study of consecutive children who received steroid therapy for primary NS was carried out at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria between 2006 and 2013. The outcomes of interest were steroid sensitivity and death. The recruited patients received a 4-6 weeks' course of prednisolone at 60 mg/m2/day followed by alternate day doses of 40 mg/m2 up to total steroid therapy duration of 6 months in steroid sensitive patients. Statistical analysis was carried out using STATA version 12.0. P value <0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Of 109 children that received steroids for at least 8 weeks, whose mean (SD) age was 7.9 (3.7) years, 69 (63.3%) were steroid sensitive. Those aged ≥6 years responded as well as those aged <6 years (P = 0.78). Boys were more likely to be steroid-sensitive than girls, 65.2% versus 34.8% (P = 0.039). There was zero mortality among the patients studied. CONCLUSION: This study has shown a better steroid sensitivity of 63.3% in children with primary NS compared with the previously reported 36.8-42.9% in patients with highly selective proteinuria. This improved steroid response and zero mortality show a remarkable departure from the past.

Annual stroke incidence in Nigerian children with sickle cell disease and elevated TCD velocities treated with hydroxyurea.

BACKGROUND: Elevated transcranial Doppler (TCD) velocities accurately predict stroke risk in children with sickle cell disease (SCD). Chronic blood transfusion, the gold standard for primary stroke prevention, is faced with numerous challenges in Africa. Hydroxyurea (HU) has been shown to reduce elevated TCD velocities in children with SCD. AIM: To determine the effectiveness of HU in reducing the risk of primary stroke in a cohort of Nigerian children with SCD and elevated velocities treated with HU. METHODS: Children with SCD and TCD velocities ≥170 cm/sec treated with HU were prospectively followed with 3-monthly TCD and neurological evaluations for ≥12 months to determine the incidence of primary stroke. RESULTS: One hundred and four children, 53 males, and 51 females were enrolled into the study. Their ages ranged from 2 to 16 years with a mean of 6 years. At first TCD examination, velocities ranged from 173 to 260 cm/sec with conditional and abnormal risk velocities in 60 (57.7%) and 44 (42.3%) children, respectively. Follow up ranged from 1 to 8 years with a mean of 3.6 years. Mean TCD velocities showed a significant decline from 198.2 (standard deviation [SD] = 15.6) cm/sec to 169.3 (SD = 21.4) cm/sec (P < 0.001). One stroke event occurred in the cohort, giving a stroke incidence of 0.27/100 person years. CONCLUSION: HU significantly reduces TCD velocities in Nigerian children with SCD and elevated TCD velocities, with a corresponding reduction in the incidence of primary stroke. HU may represent a potential alternative for primary stroke prevention in low and middle income countries where the burden of SCD resides.

A CASE REPORT OF SUSPECTED ANGIOEDEMA IN A CHILD AFTER ADMINISTRATION OF MEBENDAZOLE, COTRIMOXAZOLE AND LEAF EXTRACTS.

Adverse drug reactions in children are an important public health problem. Children are at a higher risk of developing adverse drug reactions as they seldom express their own drug therapy experiences. Factors that have been implicated include polypharmacy especially with anti-infective and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; also concomitant use of traditional medicines which is prevalent in some cultures. Cutaneous drug allergy is a common manifestation of adverse drug reactions.

Is the art of renal biopsy on the decline in Nigeria?

BACKGROUND: Renal biopsy remains the means by which definitive parenchymal kidney disease diagnoses are made. With the renal biopsy, the activity, progression and prognosis of renal parenchymal diseases can be studied with objectivity. We investigated the trend of renal histopathology request in a tertiary hospital in Nigeria over 31 years. OBJECTIVE: To determine the trend of renal biopsy requests in one of the biggest tertiary hospitals in Nigeria over a 31-year period (1981- 2011). METHODS: We retrospectively analysed all the renal biopsies submitted to the Department of Pathology, University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan, South-West Nigeria over a 30 year period (1981-2011). Trend of requests of all the biopsies submitted from the Surgery, Paediatrics and Medicine departments was analysed using a test for linear trend. Gender and age groups trends were also studied. RESULTS: A significant reduction in the rates of renal biopsy request over the 31-year period (p=0.001) was noted which is attributed to diminution in requests from the Medicine and Paediatrics Departments (p<0.001), while the rates of requests from Surgery Department remain fairly uniform over this period (p=0.05). Decrease in biopsy requests significantly cuts across the ages in both genders. CONCLUSION: Lack of adequately trained manpower, poor health insurance scheme and lack of facilities may be contributory in renal biopsy requests decline. Adequate efforts should be made towards reviving this important investigative modality in Nigerian tertiary hospitals.

A rural-urban comparison of client-provider interactions in patent medicine shops in South west Nigeria.

The increasing prominence of patent medicine vendors (PMVs) in healthcare provision makes information about how they operate of interest. This study assessed consumers' behavior and PMVs' performance in the treatment of childhood illnesses in rural and urban communities in South West Nigeria. Non-participatory observations were carried out in 163 licensed patent medicine stores in Oyo State, Nigeria. Many PMV shops (70.6% rural and 61.9% urban; p = 0.141); stocked non proprietary drugs. Clients often requested for drugs by name (75.4% urban versus 62.2% rural; p = 0.002) and PMVs mostly sold drugs as requested without questions (65.3% urban 57.8% rural; p = 0.07). Inappropriate treatment practices and invasive procedures were observed more often in urban PMVs shops (p < 0.001). PMVs functioned mostly as sales persons supplying clients' drug requests. Strategies to improve PMV treatment practices should include caregiver education to be effective.

Predictors of early seizure remission in Nigerian children with newly diagnosed epilepsy.

BACKGROUND: It is important to predict as soon as possible after diagnosis and starting treatment, the likely clinical course of childhood-onset epilepsy, both in terms of seizure control and even more pertinently, seizure intractability. Little is known about the factors predictive of seizure control in African children. METHODS: All consecutive cases of newly-diagnosed childhood epilepsy seen over a period of two years in the Paediatric Neurology clinic, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria were prospectively followed for a period of three years to determine seizure outcomes. Remission was defined as being seizure-free for at least two consecutive years. RESULTS: A total of 170 children were enrolled but 54 defaulted and were excluded from further analysis. Twenty nine (25%) attained remission while 20 (17.2%) showed signs of intractability. The remaining 67 (57.8%) showed some response to anti-epileptic drug (AED) therapy. Primary generalized epilepsy was found to be significantly associated with seizure remission and successful discontinuation of AED. Factors associated with reduced likelihood of seizure remission were remote symptomatic/cryptogenic aetiology, slow waves on electroencephalography (EEG), high seizure frequency of at least one attack/ month at presentation, failure of response to the initial AED and presence of associated neurological deficits. On logistic regression, high seizure frequency and presence of slow waves on EEG remained independent negative predictors of seizure remission. CONCLUSION: About one-quarter of Nigerian children with newly diagnosed epilepsy attain early seizure remission within the first three years ofAED therapy. The major predictors of poor seizure control and failure of seizure remission include high seizure frequency at presentation and presence of slow waves on EEG.

Nephrotic syndrome complicating cyanotic congenital heart disease: a report of two cases.

BACKGROUND: Renal complications are said to be common in cyanotic congenital heart disease (CCHD), but have not been documented frequently in Nigerian children. Nephrotic syndrome (NS) is an uncommon complication of CCHD. OBJECTIVES: To report two cases of NS complicating CCHD who presented within months of each other, in order to draw attention to the problem. METHODS: The details of the clinical presentation, course and outcome of two children with CCHD, presenting with features of NS within months of each other, were reviewed. The patients were fully assessed clinically and were further investigated with chest X-ray, ECG ad echocardiography. RESULTS: A 12-year old girl with Fallot's tetralogy underwent a Blalock-Taussig shunt at the age of 2 years, but subsequently defaulted from follow-up. She reappeared 10 years later with features of NS. Echocardiography revealed impaired myocardial function. Despite initial clinical improvement following three plasma exchanges and Enalapril therapy, she suddenly died on the 15th day of admission. The second patient was a 7-year old boy with tricuspid atresia, diagnosed at the age of 10 months, and similarly defaulted, reappearing six years later with features of NS. Oedema regressed with similar treatment, but his renal function deteriorated. He was stable enough to be discharged after six weeks on admission. CONCLUSION: Proteinuria is likely to be more common in Nigerian children with CCHD than has been previously appreciated. Early intervention in patients with CCHD is desirable in order to prevent development of complications which worsen the prognosis. Patients with CCHD should be screened regularly for proteinuria in order to detect and address renal complications early.

Increased steroid responsiveness of young children with nephrotic syndrome in Nigeria.

UNLABELLED: A previous study on the nephrotic syndrome (NS) in our unit showed that the histological patterns associated with steroid resistance were more common in children over 5 years of age. AIM: The aim of the study was to determine the incidence of steroid-responsiveness amongst nephrotic children

Long-term outcome of posterior urethral valves ablation using the Mohan's urethral valvotome.

CONTEXT: Posterior urethral valves are the most common cause of mechanical infravesical obstruction in children. The disorder has a broad spectrum of severity and the patients could develop complications on the long term, even after valves ablation. OBJECTIVE: To report the result of the follow-up study of 26 children who had posterior urethral valves ablated with the Mohan's urethral valvotome at the University college hospital, Ibadan over a period of five years. STUDY DESIGN SETTING AND SUBJECTS: Children who had posterior urethral valves ablated with the Mohan's urethral valvotome at the UCH, Ibadan between January 1996 and December 2000 were followed up in the out patient clinic on a regular basis. RESULTS: A total of 26 patients with posterior urethral valves had the valves ablated with the Mohan's urethral valvotome during the period of the study. The period of follow-up varied between 18 months and five years. Problems noticed on follow-up include recurrent urinary tract infections in 35% of the cases, acute and chronic renal failure in 5% and 15% respectively, rickets, anaemia, malnutrition and urethral stricture. CONCLUSION: Children who had posterior urethral valves ablated should be followed up much beyond the immediate post valve ablation period as complications could arise on the long term.

A review of cases of posterior urethral valves seen at the University College Hospital, Ibadan (Nigeria).

A cohort of 40 male children with Posterior Urethral Valves (PUV) seen in the Paediatric Nephrology/Urology Unit of the University College Hospital, Ibadan are presented. They were reviewed with the aim of determining the clinical course of the disease in a developing country where the facilities for active intervention are not always available. Even though 50% of the patients became symptomatic in the first week of life only 22.5% presented in the whole of the neonatal period. Thirty-seven and a half per-cent (37.5%) presented in the post-neonatal infancy period and the rest beond the first year of life. The interval between the onset of symptoms and definitive therapy was up to three years in some patients. Only 2 patients had antenatal diagnosis of the PUV by ultrasonography. The major renal complications were: (1) Urinary Tract Infections in 40%; (2) Acute Renal failure--10%; (3) Chronic Renal failure--7%; 4) Type IV Renal Tubular Acidosis--10% (5) Sustained hypertension--4.8%. The extra-renal complications were anaemia (30%), malnutrition (10%). Five of the patients died giving a case fatality rate of 12.5%, mainly from overwhelming infections and renal failure. Many of our patients had delayed presentation even though symptomatic and that may partly explain the complications and the poor outcome seen in the short term.

Antimicrobial sensitivity pattern of organisms causing urinary tract infection in children with sickle cell anaemia in Ibadan, Nigeria.

UNLABELLED: As part of a larger project on childhood urinary tract infection, antimicrobial sensitivity tests were carried out on the bacterial isolates from the urine of febrile children seen at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria. METHODOLOGY: Midstream urine specimens were collected from 171 sickle cell anaemia children and from an equal number of haemoglobin-A controls and cultured by standard methods. Sensitivity to eleven antimicrobials was tested using the disc-diffusion technique of Stokes. RESULTS: Significant bacteriuria was obtained from 37 children with sickle cell anemia and 27 controls. The isolates were Escherichia coli, Klebsiella species, Non-haemolytic streptococcus, beta-haemolytic Streptococcus, Salmonella, Proteus and Pseudomonas species. Sensitivity was highest to Pefloxacin to which over 94% of the organisms were sensitive followed by Ceftriaxone (over 85%) and ceftazidime (over 85%). Sensitivities to nalidixic acid and cefuroxime were between 67.6% and 74.1%. Most of the isolates were resistant to gentamicin, amoxycillin, cotrimoxazole and ampicillin. In general the sensitivity pattern in the sickle cell anaemia group was similar to the pattern in the control group. CONCLUSION: Aetiological agents of childhood UTI in this environment are resistant to most of the drugs commonly recommended for its treatment. Nalixidic acid and cefuroxime are recommended as first line drugs while awaiting results of sensitivity testing. Ceftriazone and ceftazidime should be reserved for cases of non-response to first line drugs and in severe cases. Pefloxacin should be considered potential drug of treatment particularly in multi-drug resistant infections.

Urinary tract infection in febrile children with sickle cell anaemia in Ibadan, Nigeria.

A prospective study to determine the prevalence of bacteriuria and bacterial isolates in the urine of febrile children with sickle cell anaemia (SCA) was carried out at University College Hospital, Ibadan. Altogether, 171 febrile children (aged 1-15 years) with SCA and 171 age- and sex-matched controls were studied. After obtaining a history of the illness from the parents or guardians, each child was physically examined and a mid-stream urine specimen collected and subjected to microscopy and culture. The prevalence of bacteriuria in children with SCA was 21.6% compared with 15.8% in the controls. Escherichia coli and Klebsiella species were the predominant isolates from the urine, accounting for 64.9% and 18.9%, respectively, of the isolates from the SCA group and 63% and 22.2%, respectively, in the controls. In the SCA group, significant bacteriuria also occurred with other conditions such as pneumonia and osteomyelitis. Urinary tract infection (UTI) is common in children with SCA. Routine screening for it is therefore recommended during febrile illnesses. Children with fever from other overt causes, however, should not be exempted from the urine screening procedure in case there might be concomitant UTI.

The predominance of membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis in childhood nephrotic syndrome in Ibadan, Nigeria.

The histological findings in renal biopsy specimens obtained from 41 children with the nephrotic syndrome in Ibadan, Nigeria, between July, 1989 and June, 1996 are presented. The patients consisted of 26 male and 15 female children and their ages ranged from 2-13 years. The predominant histological type was membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN) which occurred in 21 (51.2%). Membranous nephropathy and minimal change nephropathy (MCN) accounted for 4 (9.8%) patients each. The prevalence of MPGN was 33.3% in children less than 5 years of age compared with 56.2% amongst children who were > or = 5 years. All the three patients with MCN who were treated with a course of prednisolone had complete remission of the disease. It is concluded that MPGN is the predominant histological lesion seen in childhood nephrotic syndrome in Ibadan and that MCN remains an uncommon lesion. Therefore, renal biopsy is recommended as a prelude to a trial of steroid therapy in these patients since MCN (which is generally associated with steroid-responsiveness) is an uncommon finding among them.

Inaccuracy of the Schwartz formula in estimating glomerular filtration rate in Nigerian children.

The accurate estimation of renal function is of vital importance in the management of a child with renal disease. Given the well known difficulties of obtaining an accurately timed 24-hour urine sample from children and lacking the resources for estimating glomerular filtration rate (GFR) using radionuclide methods, the clinician practising in a developing country often has to resort to the use of height/plasma creatinine formulae when a rapid assessment of GFR is needed. In order to assess the accuracy of one of the better known formulae (Schwartz formula) in predicting GFR, 34 children with the nephrotic syndrome and 30 apparently healthy children with no evidence of renal disease were studied at the University College Hospital, Ibadan. Two methods, Altman-Bland analysis and correlation coefficients, were used to assess agreement between measured GFR (by endogenous creatinine clearance) and GFR estimated by formula. The results show that the height/plasma creatinine formula of Schwartz et al. is a poor predictor of GFR as measured by endogenous creatinine clearance in Nigerian children and that it overestimated GFR in over two-thirds of the children. These observations may be due to differences in the constant, k, in the formula, which was found to vary widely in this study with a mean value of 0.45 compared with 0.55 in the formula. It is suggested that height/creatinine formulae for predicting GFR be tested and validated for accuracy in a given environment before routine use in clinical settings.

Is the height/plasma creatinine formula of Schwartz useful as a screening test in detecting Nigeria children with low GFR?

A group of 42 children with renal diseases seen at the University College Hospital Ibadan were studied in order to evaluate the usefulness of the height/plasma creatinine formula of Schwartz et al i.e. GFR ml/min/1.73 m2 = 0.55 x Height (cm)/Plasma creatinine (mg/dl) in identifying children with renal impairment. The children were divided into 2 groups of those with GFR as measured by endogenous creatinine clearance (Ccr) < 60 ml/min/1.73 cm2 and those with CCr > 60 ml/min/1.73 cm2. There were 21 children in each group. In detecting patients with Ccr less than 60 ml/min/1.73 m2, Schwartz formula had a sensitivity of 52%, a specificity of 100%, a positive predictive value of 100% and a negative predictive value of 68%. It is concluded that in detecting patients with impaired renal function who may need more accurate methods of estimating GFR, Schwartz formula has a low sensitivity and therefore may not be useful as a screening method.