Screening for pulmonary hypertension in pregnant women with sickle cell disease in sub-Saharan Africa.

Background: Sickle cell disease (SCD) has evolved from a condition predominantly fatal in childhood to a chronic illness impacting many adults, including women of reproductive age. For females with SCD, pregnancy represents one of the greatest health threats, exacerbating existing health challenges and introducing new risks. Despite advancements in healthcare, routine screening for existing complications like pulmonary hypertension (PH) remains inconsistent, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where the prevalence of SCD is highest.

Short-term COVID-19 vaccine adverse effects among adults in Ekiti State, Nigeria.

Background: The safety of the COVID-19 vaccines has been a topic of concern globally. This issue of safety is associated with vaccine hesitancy due to concerns about the adverse effects of the vaccines. Consequently, this study determined the short-term safety profile of the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in Ekiti State, Nigeria.

The impact of systemic hypertension on outcomes in hospitalized COVID-19 patients - a systematic review.

Background: Several observational reports from different parts of the world have shown that systemic hypertension (hypertension) was the single commonest comorbid condition in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Hypertension is also the most prevalent comorbidity reported among patients who developed severe disease, were admitted to Intensive Care Unit, needed mechanical ventilatory support, or who died on admission. The objective of this systematic review is to study the association between hypertension and specific clinical outcomes of COVID-19 disease which are- development of severe COVID-19 disease, need for admission in the intensive care unit (ICU) or critical care unit (CCU), need for mechanical ventilation or death.

Patient-level and system-level determinants of stroke fatality across 16 large hospitals in Ghana and Nigeria: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Every minute, six indigenous Africans develop new strokes. Patient-level and system-level contributors to early stroke fatality in this region are yet to be delineated. We aimed to identify and quantify the contributions of patient-level and system-level determinants of inpatient stroke fatality across 16 hospitals in Ghana and Nigeria.

Secondhand smoke exposure is independently associated with stroke among non-smoking adults in West Africa.

Background: Stroke is a leading cause of disability and mortality worldwide, but little is known about the contribution of secondhand smoke exposure (SHSE) to stroke epidemiology among indigenous Africans.

Objective: To evaluate the association of SHSE with stroke among indigenous Africans.

Methods: We analyzed the relationship of SHSE with stroke among 2990 case-control pairs of adults who had never smoked (identified in the SIREN study) using conditional logistic regression at a two-sided P < 0.

A systematic review and Meta-data analysis on the applications of Deep Learning in Electrocardiogram.

Unlabelled: The success of deep learning over the traditional machine learning techniques in handling artificial intelligence application tasks such as image processing, computer vision, object detection, speech recognition, medical imaging and so on, has made deep learning the buzz word that dominates Artificial Intelligence applications. From the last decade, the applications of deep learning in physiological signals such as electrocardiogram (ECG) have attracted a good number of research. However, previous surveys have not been able to provide a systematic comprehensive review including biometric ECG based systems of the applications of deep learning in ECG with respect to domain of applications.

Association between metabolic syndrome and healthcare work status in Ekiti State, Nigeria.

Introduction: metabolic syndrome portends an increased risk of cardiovascular events and death. Evidence showed that healthcare workers are at higher risk of cardiovascular events because of their engagement in night-shift work. Therefore, this study determined the association between metabolic syndrome and healthcare work status in Ekiti State, Nigeria.

Risk Factor Characterization of Ischemic Stroke Subtypes Among West Africans.

Background And Purpose: To identify the qualitative and quantitative contributions of conventional risk factors for occurrence of ischemic stroke and its key pathophysiologic subtypes among West Africans.

Methods: The SIREN (Stroke Investigative Research and Educational Network) is a multicenter, case-control study involving 15 sites in Ghana and Nigeria. Cases include adults aged ≥18 years with ischemic stroke who were etiologically subtyped using the A-S-C-O-D classification into atherosclerosis, small-vessel occlusion, cardiac pathology, other causes, and dissection.

Burden of Care and Psychological Distress in Primary Caregivers of Patients with Type -2 Diabetes Mellitus in A Tertiary Hospital in Nigeria.

Background: Caregivers play an important role in the management and care of individuals with chronic medical conditions. This is because; they provide emotional, physical, financial as well as spiritual support to their wards. However, the process of caregiving is usually associated with feelings of burden and psychological distress.

Pattern and predictive factors of health-related quality of life of patients with hypertension, diabetes and concomitant hypertension with diabetes in Ilorin, Nigeria.

Background: Hypertension and diabetes are the two most important modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) among Nigerian population. Because of the lifelong nature of the two diseases and the attendant long treatment regimen required, assessing the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is an important outcome of these diseases.

Objective: This study assessed the pattern and predictive factors of HRQoL among patients with hypertension, diabetes and concomitant hypertension and diabetes using the 36-item short-form version 2.

Advanced sickle cell associated interstitial lung disease presenting with cor pulmonale in a Nigerian.

Previous studies have reported abnormal pulmonary function and pulmonary hypertension among Nigerians with sickle cell disease, but there is no report of interstitial lung disease among them. We report a Nigerian sickle cell patient who presented with computed tomography proven interstitial lung disease complicated by pulmonary hypertension and cor pulmonale.

Factors influencing adherence to antiretroviral medication in Ilorin, Nigeria.

Background: Good adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is required for viral suppression and prevention of drug resistance. Patients' adherence to HAART has not been determined since the commencement of HAART at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), Ilorin, Nigeria, over 5 years ago.

Objectives: To determine the adherence level of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) to HAART and identify associated factors.