Association between serum vitamin D status and severity of liver cirrhosis: implications for therapeutic targeting in Nigerian patients.

Background: Liver cirrhosis is a chronic and progressive liver disease with significant global health implications. Recent evidence suggests an association between serum vitamin D levels and the severity of liver cirrhosis, potentially serving as a therapeutic target. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between serum vitamin D status and the severity of liver cirrhosis in a population of Nigerian patients.

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Associated Risk Factors in Obese Nigerians: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is now adjudged the most common liver disease in the world, contributing to the rising incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma worldwide. However, the true prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease among obese individuals and its contribution to the burden of liver disease in Nigeria is unknown.

Aim: To determine the prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and associated risk factors in obese subjects.

Pyoderma Gangrenosum in a Young Nigerian Male with Severe Ulcerative Colitis: A Case Report.

Pyoderma gangrenosum manifests as recurrent deep ulceration of the skin and is associated with a variety of disorders. We report a 40-year-old man who developed ulcers on the flexor surface of his right lower limb following a trauma 10 years prior to the current presentation. He was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis 20 years ago, and was previously placed on sulfasalazine and prednisolone.

Erratum: Resuming endoscopy during COVID-19 pandemic: ESGE, WEO and WGO Joint Cascade Guideline for Resource Limited Settings.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1055/a-1400-9135.].

Sero-prevalence of Hepatitis B virus infection: A cross-sectional study of a large population of health care workers in Nigeria.

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has been recognized globally as a major public health challenge necessitating a global call for increased awareness, patients' identification, and development of activities for prevention and control of the disease. Consequently, massive health education campaigns and screening exercises have been mounted globally to mark the World Hepatitis Day (WHD).

Aims: As part of WHD 2016 activities, we undertook a survey and screening of health care workers in order to raise awareness, identify patients and contribute to the Global Health Strategy goal of eliminating HBV infection by the year 2030.

Chronic HIV infection and health related quality of life in resource poor settings-an assessment from South East Nigeria.

Background: Health-related quality of life reflects a patient's general subjective perception of the effect of an illness or intervention on physical, psychological and social aspects of daily life. HIV infection is a major public health problem especially in developing countries where poor health infrastructure and poverty are prevalent. This paper addresses the quality of life in patients with chronic HIV infection in South East Nigeria and addresses issues that may help improve the current situation.

Prevalence and distribution of hypertension in overweight and obese subjects in an urban community in Enugu, South East Nigeria. A post hoc analysis.

Background: Most recent studies in Nigeria have documented high prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, and obesity. Several mechanisms may link hypertension and obesity hence the high prevalences of both disorders in Nigeria. There are however no studies on the prevalence of hypertension among the obese in urban settings.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on gastrointestinal endoscopy in Africa.

As with all other fields of medical practice, gastrointestinal endoscopy has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, data on the impact of the pandemic in Africa, especially sub-Saharan Africa are lacking. A web-based survey was conducted by the International Working Group of the European Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and the World Endoscopy Organization to determine the impact and effects the COVID-19 pandemic has had on endoscopists in African countries.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease in a typical African population: a symptom-based multicenter study.

Background: The prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in Africa is not known but is believed to be increasing because of demographic and epidemiologic transition. The main objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence and risk factors of GERD, and its degree of overlap with dyspepsia and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in Nigeria, a typical African population.

Methods: This was an observational, cross-sectional and descriptive study of adult Nigerians.

Health-related quality of life in people with chronic diseases managed in a low-resource setting - A study from South East Nigeria.

Background: Assessment of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in resource-limited settings is critical to evaluate and improve the burden of morbidity and mortality associated with chronic medical disorders. There is a dearth of data on HRQOL among patients suffering from chronic medical disorders in Nigeria. This study assessed the HRQOL of participants with diabetes mellitus (DM), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, and cancer in a hospital setting with limited resources and highlighted associated factors.

Posttransplant Care of Kidney Transplant Recipients and Their Donors in Nigeria.

Objectives: Kidney transplantation is not readily available in low-resource settings because of poor health structure, dearth of experts, and pervading poverty. Although many centers now offer kidney transplant, patients still travel outside Nigeria for this service for many reasons and many return home without a detailed medical report.

Materials And Methods: Medical records of individuals who underwent kidney transplant in Nigeria and elsewhere and who were presently receiving posttransplant care or had received such care from 2002 to 2018 at 4 Nigerian hospitals were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed.

Uptake of hepatitis B vaccination and its determinants among health care workers in a tertiary health facility in Enugu, South-East, Nigeria.

Background: Hepatitis B vaccination is the most effective method of prevention for hepatitis B virus infection. It is a major public health problem in Nigeria, and health workers are at increased risk. This study determined the uptake of hepatitis B vaccination and assessed its determinants among health care workers (HCWs).

Pattern and determinants of self-reported enacted stigma among rural dwellers living with epilepsy attending a tertiary health facility in Enugu State Nigeria.

Purpose: Epilepsy related stigma is a barrier to recovery and has been linked to a broad range of psychosocial consequences and has the potential to influence the provision of care to people with epilepsy. Understanding the determinants of enacted stigma in epilepsy is relevant in the understanding of the burden of epilepsy in Nigeria.

Method: Using a semi-structured questionnaire, a cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among rural dwellers receiving treatment for epilepsy in a tertiary referral specialist hospital in Enugu, south east Nigeria.

Prevalence of active convulsive epilepsy in an urban slum in Enugu South East Nigeria.

Purpose: To determine the prevalence of active convulsive epilepsy and treatment gap in two Urban slums in Enugu South East Nigeria.

Methods: A 3 phase cross-sectional descriptive study was done to survey individuals ≥ 15 years in 2 slums in Enugu, South East Nigeria.

Results: The prevalence of epilepsy was 6.

Population-based prevalence of high blood pressure among adults in an urban slum in Enugu, South East Nigeria.

In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), rapid urbanization and changing lifestyle have modified the profile and pattern of various medical disorders. Apart from high prevalence rates, recent trends with regard to hypertension in Africa include: low levels of awareness, treatment and control. Although a large number of studies provide data about hypertension in SSA, few studies focused on special populations such as urban slum dwellers.

Reference intervals for serum cystatin C and creatinine of an indigenous adult Nigerian population.

Background And Aim: Estimation of the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is important for the evaluation of patients with kidney disease. Some studies suggest that GFR estimated from serum cystatin C (Cys C) is more accurate than that from serum creatinine (SCr). For Cys C to be used for this purpose, normal values need to be determined for various populations.

Prevalence of primary headaches in an urban slum in Enugu South East Nigeria: a door-to-door survey.

Objective/background: This study aims to determine the prevalence of primary headache disorders using the second edition of international classification of headache disorders among urban slum dwellers. Headache is a common neurological disorder and one of the most common reasons for visiting the neurology clinics in Nigeria. Low socioeconomic status has been linked with primary headaches.

High degree of duodenal inflammation in Nigerians with functional dyspepsia.

Background: Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a heterogeneous disorder associated with diverse pathophysiological mechanisms, including immune activation and low-grade mucosal inflammation. Genetic factors, physiological functions, and environmental factors may determine the relative importance of various pathophysiological mechanisms. This study was designed to determine the histological alterations in the duodenal mucosa of Nigerian patients with FD.

High population frequencies of APOL1 risk variants are associated with increased prevalence of non-diabetic chronic kidney disease in the Igbo people from south-eastern Nigeria.

Background: Continental Africa is facing an epidemic of chronic kidney disease (CKD). APOL1 risk variants have been shown to be strongly associated with an increased risk for non-diabetic kidney disease including HIV nephropathy, primary non-monogenic focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis, and hypertension-attributed nephropathy among African ancestry populations in the USA. The world's highest frequencies of APOL1 risk alleles have been reported in West African nations, overlapping regions with a high incidence of CKD and hypertension.

Functional dyspepsia: subtypes, risk factors, and overlap with irritable bowel syndrome in a population of african patients.

Background. Functional dyspepsia is the prototype functional gastrointestinal disorder. This study was designed to determine its prevalence, subtypes, and risk factors associated with the subtypes.