A qualitative enquiry into lived experience and coping strategies of undergraduates with sickle cell disease in Nigeria.

Background: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is of serious public health concern. Paucity of literature exists on qualitative experiences of people with SCD, despite substantial research on the clinical signs and management of the disease. This study examined how SCD affects a range of undergraduate students' experiences, their academic achievements, relationships, mental health and healthcare utilization.

Audit of clinical and laboratory parameters of hemoglobin SS patients in a Nigerian teaching hospital.

Background: The burden of Sickle cell anaemia (SCA) is huge in Sub Sahara Africa as it affects 1-2% of the population. HbSS impacts negatively on the quality of life of the sufferers. The clinical manifestations start between 3 and 5 months of life as a result of reduction in foetal hemoglobin.

Left ventricular geometry and electrocardiographic criteria in assessing left ventricular hypertrophy in sickle cell anemia patients.

Background: Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is recognized as a cardiovascular risk factor and is a known consequence of sickle cell anemia (SCA). Abnormal left ventricular geometric patterns have been described but the determinants have not been well elucidated.

Method: Electrocardiography (ECG) and Echocardiography (ECHO) was done on subjects with SCA and hemoglobin A(HBA).

Plasma L-Arginine in Sickle Cell Anaemia Patients in Crises and its Correlation with Markers of Severity of Disease.

Introduction/objectives: Sickle Cell Anaemia (SCA) is a chronic haemolytic and inflammatory disorder characterized by repeated vaso-occlusive (VOC) and hyperhaemolytic crises (HC). These crises determine the quality of life of SCA patients. This study estimated the plasma L-arginine levels in SCApatients during crises (HC and VOC), and correlated these levels with the markers of inflammation in the patients.

D-dimer as a Predictor of Altered Coagulation in HIV Patients in Nigeria.

Recent medical advances have improved the quality of life and correspondingly reduced the morbidity and mortality associated with HIV infection. However increased life expectancy has led to a relative rise in comorbidities and complications such as alterations in coagulation systems. This study is aimed at the evaluation of D-dimer level as a predictor of thromboembolic risk in HIV patients.

Assessment of iron deficiency anaemia and its risk factors among adults with chronic kidney disease in a tertiary hospital in Nigeria.

Introduction: A substantial proportion of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) develop iron deficiency anaemia (IDA). Despite the association of IDA with adverse cardiovascular outcomes, it remains underdiagnosed and poorly managed. Up to 70% of patients with CKD are anaemic at the time of initiating dialysis, while the predictors of IDA in these patients in our setting are unknown.

Understanding the causes of breast cancer treatment delays at a teaching hospital in Ghana.

Poor outcomes for breast cancer in Ghana have been attributed to late presentation of symptoms at biomedical facilities. This study explored factors accounting for delays in initiation of breast cancer treatment at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra. Focus group discussions were conducted with 20 women with breast cancer.

Sickle Cell Disease Clinical Trials and Phenotypes.

Sickle cell disease, one of the world's most common genetic disorders is prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa. The trans-Atlantic slave trade accounted for the gene movement from Africa to the Caribbean and United States of America and lately, migration has resulted in the introduction of the gene to the United Kingdom and other parts of Europe. Different haplotypes exist, however the differences in these haplotypes are not sufficient to explain the different clinical variations within the same region or different settings.

Associations of α-thalassemia and BCL11A with stroke in Nigerian, United States, and United Kingdom sickle cell anemia cohorts.

Alpha-thalassemia and the rs1427407 T allele are commonly observed in sickle cell anemia (SCA) patients and are associated with reduced hemolysis and higher hemoglobin F levels, respectively. We investigated whether a high-risk genetic profile, defined as SCA patients who did not inherit either α-thalassemia or the rs1427407 T allele, had stronger associations with clinical and laboratory variables than the individual genetic components in the University of Ibadan cohort (n=249). We then replicated our findings in SCA cohorts from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC)(n=260) and Walk-Treatment of Pulmonary Hypertension and Sickle cell disease with Sildenafil Therapy (Walk-PHaSST)(n=387).

Awareness and distribution of ABO, Rhesus blood groups and haemoglobin phenotypes among medical undergraduates in a Nigerian university.

Background: In the past two decades the Nigerian government and religious organisations have put more emphasis on knowing the haemoglobin electrophoresis of school children and intending couples respectively. Knowledge of the distribution of blood groups and haemoglobin electrophoretic patterns among young people is vital for the prevention of haemoglobinopathies in the population and for providing effective blood banking services. Therefore, this study was designed to assess the frequency and awareness of blood group and haemoglobinphenotypes among a new set of fourth year clinical medical and dental students of the University of Ibadan, Nigeria.

Factors Associated With Waiting Time for Breast Cancer Treatment in a Teaching Hospital in Ghana.

Background Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality among women in Ghana. Data are limited on the predictors of poor outcomes in breast cancer patients in low-income countries; however, prolonged waiting time has been implicated. Among breast cancer patients who received treatment at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, this study evaluated duration and factors that influenced waiting time from first presentation to start of definitive treatment.

Routine administration of intravenous calcium during exchange blood transfusion for treatment of severe neonatal hyperbilirubinaemia: a systematic review of quantitative evidence protocol.

Review Question/objective: The objective of this review is to assess the effectiveness of intravenous calcium given during exchange blood transfusion (EBT) in neonates.More specifically, the objectives of the review are to determine whether:

Background: Neonatal hyperbilirubinaemia is an abnormally high level of bilirubin in the circulating blood, resulting in clinically visible icterus or jaundice. A serum bilirubin level above 5 mg per dL (86 μmol per L) is a frequently encountered problem worldwide and is a common reason for neonates to present to the emergency department.

Vitamin D levels are low in adult patients with sickle cell disease in Jamaica and West Africa.

Background: Patients with sickle cell disease in the USA have been noted to have lower levels of vitamin D - measured as 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) - compared to controls. Average serum 25(OH)D levels are also substantially lower in African Americans than whites, while population distributions of 25(OH)D among Jamaicans of African descent and West Africans are the same as among USA whites. The purpose of this study was to examine whether adult patients with sickle cell disease living in tropical regions had reduced 25(OH)D relative to the general population.

Comparison of patients from Nigeria and the USA highlights modifiable risk factors for sickle cell anemia complications.

To identify factors that affect manifestations of sickle cell anemia we compared patients 11-30 years of age from University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo, Nigeria (n = 214) and University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA (n = 209). Paralleling findings in the general populations of the two countries, the Chicago patients were more often overweight or obese as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Atlanta, GA, USA) guidelines, and more often had elevated blood pressure (BP) as defined by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), Bethesda, MD, USA guidelines. The Ibadan patients did not receive the pneumococcal vaccine or hydroxyurea (HU) therapy as frequently as the Chicago patients.

Lipid peroxidation in Nigerians affected with haematological malignancies.

This study investigated Lipid peroxidation status in twenty Nigerians; five (5) healthy subjects and 15 (fifteen) Haematological cancer patients; 5 affected with Chronic Myeloid leukaemia (CML), 5 (five) with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and 5 (five) with Multiple Myeloma. Consents were sought and received from all participants used in the study. 10 mls of blood samples were collected in lithium heparin bottles from all subjects used in the study.

Level of awareness of mammography among women attending outpatient clinics in a teaching hospital in Ibadan, South-West Nigeria.

Background: Mammography has been used in developed countries with considerable success but very little is known about this imaging modality in low resource settings. This study examined the level of awareness of mammography and determined factors influencing the level of awareness.

Methods: We conducted a hospital based cross sectional study to investigate the level of awareness of mammography among 818 randomly selected women attending the General Outpatient clinics (GOP) of the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Nigeria.

Abdominal pain in adult sickle cell disease patients: a nigerian experience.

Background: Abdominal pain is a relatively frequent occurrence in sickle cell disease. The aetiology of abdominal pain in sickle cell disease is often difficult to diagnose clinically. Despite the frequent occurrence, diagnostic dilemma, and the need for an accurate, early diagnosis, abdominal pain in sickle cell disease has not been rigorously studied.

A fifteen-year review of lymphomas in a Nigerian tertiary healthcare centre.

In Africa, epidemiological data on the effect of the HIV epidemic on the occurrence of lymphomas are scanty. The 1990s witnessed the alarming rates of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria. The prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria increased from 1.

Risk of anaemia in HIV positive pregnant women in Ibadan, south west Nigeria.

Unlabelled: Anaemia in pregnancy is an important cause of maternal and neonatal mortality. It is a recognized co-morbidity of HIV infection. This study aimed to determine the risk of anaemia in HIV positive pregnant women.

Pattern, indications and review of complications of neonatal blood transfusion in ibadan, southwest Nigeria.

Background And Objectives: There is a huge need for blood transfusion in the newborn particularly due to the reduced marrow activity in the neonatal period. Despite widely use of blood products in the neonatal period, there is paucity of local data on the pattern, indications and reactions to blood transfusions in Nigerian newborns. This study evaluates the blood transfusion indications and patterns in special care baby unit and C1(2nd) of University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria.

Pattern of contraceptive use among women with sickle cell disease in Ibadan, South-west Nigeria.

A cross-sectional study was conducted at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria between January and April 2009. The purpose of this study was to determine the pattern of contraceptive use among females of reproductive age, with sickle cell (SC) disease, attending various clinics at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria. It is evident in this study that even although contraceptive awareness in this group of patients is high, the prevalence of contraceptive use is very low which is comparable with the general population.

Blood banking in a malaria-endemic area: evaluating the problem posed by malarial parasitaemias.

The emergence and wide dissemination of drug-resistant malarial parasites underscore the need to prevent post-transfusion malaria. In Nigeria, as in most of sub-Saharan Africa, however, blood donors are not routinely screened for malarial infection. Recently, 391 consecutive potential blood donors in a malaria-endemic area of south-western Nigeria were each checked for malarial parasitaemia using three methods: microscopy (all samples), OptiMAL (315 samples) and/or the Clinotech Malaria Cassette (142 samples).