Unmet needs in asthma treatment in a resource-limited setting: findings from the survey of adult asthma patients and their physicians in Nigeria.

Introduction: The prevalence of asthma in our society is rising and there is need for better understanding of the asthma patients' perception and treatment practice of physicians. The study was aimed at determining asthma attitudes and treatment practices among adult physicians and patients in Nigeria, with the goal of identifying barriers to optimal management.

Methods: To assess asthma attitudes, treatment practices and limitations among adult physicians and patients in Nigeria, a questionnaire survey was conducted among 150 patients and 70 physicians.

Spectrum of endoscopic findings in Nigerians with dyspepsia.

Background: Dyspepsia is a common gastrointestinal disorder originating from the gastroduodenal region, and is the most common indication for upper gastrointestinal tract endoscopy. There are differing information on the commonest endoscopic findings in patients with dyspepsia from Nigeria.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the spectrum of endoscopic findings in patients with dyspepsia.

Management and health issues in women with epilepsy - a review.

Although epilepsy affects men and women equally, there are special implications for women, especially during their childbearing years, and particularly when pregnancy is contemplated. This review summarisesthe complexity and multifaceted nature of health issues affecting women with epilepsy (WWE) in general and epilepsy in women beyond childbearing age. The female sex hormones and their cyclic as well as age-related variations certainly influence seizure activity and epilepsy in women.

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.

Smokeless tobacco use in adult Nigerian population.

Objectives: The study aim was to establish the prevalence and determinants of smokeless tobacco use in Nigerian adults' population.

Methods: Across-sectional survey of 1776 adults in Yola, 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.