Establishing Reference Intervals for Serum and Salivary Cortisol in a Selected Population in Kano, Nigeria.

Objective: Serum cortisol has long been used in the assessment of disorders of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. The reference interval for cortisol in both serum and saliva depends on the analytical methodology and the population studied; hence, a locally derived population-based reference interval is recommended. To our knowledge, there are no studies on reference interval determination in the study area, raising concerns about the use of reference intervals established in European and North American populations.

Doppler Sonographic Characteristics and Clinical Outcomes of Diabetic Foot Syndrome: A 5-Year Audit from a Tertiary Hospital in Northern Nigeria.

Background: Diabetes foot syndrome is one of the common complications of diabetes. Detailed information on the clinical and vascular characteristics of patients with diabetic foot disease in relation to the outcome of the care provided to these patients will be useful to policymakers and clinicians in early detection and timely interventions for the prevention of disabling complications.

Materials And Methods: This is a review of patients with diabetic foot managed in Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital over 5 years (January 2017-May 2022).

The role of medical-grade maggots in facilitating healing of diabetic foot ulcers in Kano, northern Nigeria: a case series.

Objective: Approximately 13% of people living with diabetes develop one or more ulcers during the course of the disease, and diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is responsible for >60% of lower limb amputations worldwide. This case series aimed to demonstrate the effectiveness of medical-grade maggots on DFUs in promoting wound healing and reducing related hospital stays in northern Nigeria.

Method: Maggot debridement therapy (MDT) was applied to the DFUs of patients who consented to this treatment between January-August 2021 at the Orthopaedic Unit of the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), Kano, Nigeria.

Prevalence and risk factors of diabetes foot ulcers in Kano, northwestern Nigeria.

Background: Foot complications account for more hospital admissions than any other diabetes mellitus (DM) complications with adverse outcomes being foot ulcers and amputation.

Objective: To determine the prevalence and risk factors of diabetic foot ulcers in Kano, Northwestern Nigeria.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in the diabetes outpatient clinics and medical and surgical wards of two hospitals in Kano, Nigeria.

Diabetes Mellitus and its Risk Factors Among a Suburban Population of Northwestern Nigerians: A Community-Based Survey.

Background: Diabetes mellitus is a serious public health problem, and its prevalence is increasing globally. However, there are scanty reports of the scope and burden of the disease among suburban populations of Nigeria. This study aims to determine the prevalence of diabetes mellitus and to determine the associated risk factors of the disease among the suburban population of Northern Nigeria.

Diabetes-related knowledge, attitude, and practice among outpatients of a tertiary hospital in North-western Nigeria.

Introduction: One of the challenges facing the management of diabetes is the misconception and inadequate knowledge about the disease. We assessed the level of diabetes-related knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) among patients with diabetes in North-western Nigeria.

Materials And Methods: This was a hospital-based cross-sectional study.

Predictors of intra-hospital mortality in patients with diabetic foot ulcers in Nigeria: data from the MEDFUN study.

Background: Diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) are associated with high morbidity and mortality globally. Mortality in patients hospitalized for DFU in Nigeria is unacceptably high. This study was undertaken to determine factors that predict mortality in patients hospitalized for DFU in Nigeria.

Determinants of wound healing in patients hospitalized for diabetic foot ulcer: results from the MEDFUN study.

Objective: The high amputation rates from diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) in Nigeria and prolonged hospitalization due to poor wound healing is a source of concern. Furthermore, factors that affect wound healing of DFUs have not yet been well studied in Nigeria, whereas knowing these factors could improve DFU outcomes. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the factors that are associated with the wound healing in patients hospitalized for DFU.

Pattern of Obesity Among Patients with Type 2 Diabetes at a Tertiary Healthcare Center in Northern Nigeria.

Purpose: Type 2 diabetes poses a major global health threat both in the developed and developing countries. Factors responsible for the soaring epidemic of T2DM in the developing countries include urbanization, ageing population, physical inactivity and increasing obesity rates. Our aim was to determine the pattern of obesity among patients with T2DM at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), Kano, Northwestern Nigeria.

Anemia in patients with diabetic foot ulcer and its impact on disease outcome among Nigerians: Results from the MEDFUN study.

Background: Diabetes is a life-long and debilitating disease that is fraught with both acute and chronic complications. Of particular concern to sufferers of the disease is the development of foot problems. These problems range from foot deformities to slowly healing or non-healing ulcers (that may necessitate amputation) and in the worst-case scenario, to death.

The prevalence and clinical profile of adrenocortical deficiency among HIV infected persons in Northern Nigeria.

Background: Infection with the human immune deficiency virus (HIV) is still a prevalent problem in Africa.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of hypocortisolism among patients with HIV and their clinical profile at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), Kano, Nigeria.

Method: Three hundred and fifty adult patients with HIV infection were recruited from the HIV clinic of AKTH, Kano.

Predictors of lower extremity amputation in patients with diabetic foot ulcer: findings from MEDFUN, a multi-center observational study.

Background: Lower extremity amputation (LEA) is a potential sequelae of diabetic foot ulceration (DFU) and is associated with huge morbidly and mortality. Low and middle income countries are currently at the greatest risk of diabetes-related complications and deaths. We sought to identify demographic, clinical and laboratory variables that significantly predict LEA in patients hospitalized for DFU.

Cost of Illness of Diabetic Foot Ulcer in a Resource Limited Setting: A Study from Northwestern Nigeria.

Introduction: Diabetic foot ulcer is a major complication of diabetes with a high economic cost of managing. Data from resource limited setting will bring to light how patients in these localities suffer financially in addition to poverty and lack of health insurance. This study estimated cost of illness among patients with diabetic foot ulcer in northwestern Nigeria.

Burden of diabetic foot ulcer in Nigeria: Current evidence from the multicenter evaluation of diabetic foot ulcer in Nigeria.

Background: Nigeria bears the greatest burden of diabetes prevalence in Sub-Saharan Africa. Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is a serious and potentially life-threatening complication of diabetes. Significant improvements in diabetic foot incidence and outcomes have been recorded in many Western countries in the past decade.

Occurrence of hypocortisolism in HIV patients: Is the picture changing?

Background: The occurrence of endocrine diseases in people who are infected with HIV is traditionally thought to occur in the setting of AIDS with opportunistic infections and malignancies. However, recent studies find the correlation between hypocortisolism and stage of HIV (CD4 count and WHO clinical stage) inconsistent.

Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study included three hundred and fifty (350) consecutive patients with HIV infection.

Prevalence and Risk Factors for Diabetes Mellitus in Nigeria: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Introduction: There has been no nationwide health (diabetes) survey in Nigeria since 1992, when a diabetes mellitus (DM) prevalence of 2.2% was reported. We aimed to determine the prevalence of and risk factors for DM in Nigeria by performing a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Metabolic syndrome among HIV infected patients: A comparative cross sectional study in northwestern Nigeria.

Introduction: The increasing availability of antiretroviral drugs has made HIV-positive patients to live longer, and conditions that are associated with longevity such as metabolic syndrome and other cardiovascular related conditions have become relevant in them. This is less well studied among African populations. Therefore the study aimed at estimating and comparing the prevalence of and associated risk factors for the metabolic syndrome (MS) among African HIV infected patients.

Stroke in patients with diabetes mellitus: a study from North Western Nigeria.

Background: Stroke is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide and apart from being exceedingly harmful in diabetics, stroke is a disabling disorder. The study was undertaken to describe the clinical characteristics, outcome pattern and predictors of mortality in a cohort of diabetic patients presenting with stroke in two tertiary health facilities in North Western Nigeria.

Method: Out of all stroke patients seen from June 2007 to February 2011, persons with diabetes mellitus presenting with stroke in the emergency unit of the two tertiary hospitals in Kano were consecutively recruited for the study.

Performance of waist circumference and proposed cutoff levels for defining overweight and obesity in Nigerians.

Background: Waist circumference (WC) is a simple tool for measuring central obesity in routine clinic settings. Gender- and ethnic-specific optimal cutoff points for WC are encouraged for populations lacking such data.

Objectives: To derive WC cutoff values, predictive of overweight and obesity in Nigerians and to evaluate the performance of currently recommended values.