ASSESSMENT OF SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS AND CONTROL OF ASTHMA IN ADULTS.

BACKGROUND: Asthma is a chronic disease which places considerable economic, social and public health burdens on the society. Education, occupation and income are the most widely used indicators of socioeconomic status (SES). Studies have shown increased asthma hospital admissions for those who are materially deprived and increased asthma severity in low social class groups. The aim of this study is to determine the impact of socioeconomic status on control of asthma in adults. METHOD: The study was a cross-sectional analytical one, conducted over a year at the Medical Outpatient Clinic of the University College Hospital Ibadan. The study population was composed of 355 randomly selected adults aged between 18years and 55years with an established diagnosis of asthma already on treatment. RESULTS: Respondents with monthly income of 40000 and above had a higher proportion with good asthma control (74.1%) compared to those that earned 10000 to 39999 (69.0%) and less than 10000 (47.8%). This was statistically significant. Respondents in occupational class I/II had a slightly higher proportion with good asthma control (70.9%) compared to those in occupation class III/IV (70.1%) and occupation class V/VI (50.6%). This was statistically significant at p = 0.003. CONCLUSION: Respondents in the higher occupational class had better asthma control than respondents in the lower occupational class. Respondents who were earning 40000 and above as monthly income had better control of asthma than other respondents. After adjusting for other variables, the predictor of good asthma control was monthly income of the respondents.

ASSESSMENT OF THE LIVING CONDITIONS OF RURAL BASED PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS WITH CLINICAL PRESENTATIONS IN NIGERIA.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the living conditions of rural based people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and their clinical presentations DESIGN: descriptive cross-sectional study, SETTING: University College Hospital, Ibadan. SUBJECTS: PLWHA on anti-retroviral therapy. RESULTS: One hundred and fifty PLWHA participated. The mean age of the respondents was 28.7 ± 8.9 years. Majority of the respondents visited had advanced disease (97%), were poor (75%) and presented with opportunistic infections such as oral candidiasis (92%), chronic diarrhoea (70%) and pulmonary tuberculosis (46%). Majority were treated for malaria (72%) and anaemia (61%). All respondents lived in homes predisposed to these opportunistic infections. They drink unsafe water and had poor disposal of their domestic wastes. CONCLUSION: PLWHA visited lived in homes that predispose them to various opportunistic infections. Improved living conditions and economic empowerment will improve the health conditions of PLWHA.

Perceived family support and blood glucose control in type 2 diabetes

This study aimed to find out if levels of family support are correlated with blood glucose control among Nigerians with type 2 diabetes. One hundred and fifty (150) patients attending the diabetes clinic of the University College Hospital, Ibadan, were assessed for their perception of family support using a validated family support measure. Fasting plasma glucose was used as the index of glycaemic control, and 39% of subjects were rated as having 'strong' perceived family support, while 31% and 11% were rated wth 'weak' and 'no' perceived family support, respectively. Mean fasting plasma glucose was 7.0±2.5 mmol/L, with lower levels of blood glucose in those who perceived their family as supportive, compared with those who perceived their family as unsupportive. Positive family support was found to correlate positively with blood glucose control

Demographic factors in HIV infected patients seen at UCH, Ibadan, Nigeria.

There is a rising rate of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection in Nigeria. Good knowledge of the demographic characteristics of the patients with HIV/AIDS may be of great importance in understanding its epidemiology in Nigeria and could facilitate efforts at curtailing the spread of the infection. The study was planned to determine the demographic factors in Nigerian patients with HIV infection. The study was conducted at the University College Hospital (U.C.H), Ibadan, located in the South West of Nigeria. It was a retrospective study of patients with HIV infection attending the U.C.H. from 1988 to 2002. The data collected from the clinical records of the patients with HIV infection included age, sex, marital status, number of spouses, tribe, occupation, education and their religious affiliation. A total of 460 patients aged 1-76 years with peak at 30-34 years were studied. The male/female ratio was 1.06 and the males were the older group. Traders accounted for 40% with female preponderance while the artisans (19.9%) and the military (2.9%) were mostly males. The patients were of Yoruba (70.6%), Igbo (20.0%) and Hausa (9.1%) races. Among the patients with marital status, majority (71.4%) were married while those separated and widowed accounted for 3.5% and 2.6% respectively. Also, a higher proportion of the female HIV patients were Christians whereas the majority of the males were of Islamic religion. Although, there was a low frequency of records on education, the males had better formal education. In conclusion, the study shows that HIV infection is presently an adult disease affecting the most productive segment of the Nigerian population regardless of the individual occupation, educational status, tribe and religious affiliation. Also, it shows that the infection could be associated with heterosexual intercourse.