Improving cardiovascular outcomes for patients with heart failure in sub-Saharan Africa: conference proceedings of the 2022 Nigerian Cardiovascular Symposium.

The Nigerian Cardiovascular Symposium is an annual conference held in partnership with cardiologists in Nigeria and the diaspora to provide updates in cardiovascular medicine and cardiothoracic surgery with the aim of optimising cardiovascular care for the Nigerian population. This virtual conference (due to the COVID-19 pandemic) has created an opportunity for effective capacity building of the Nigerian cardiology workforce. The objective of the conference was for experts to provide updates on current trends, clinical trials and innovations in heart failure, selected cardiomyopathies such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and cardiac amyloidosis, pulmonary hypertension, cardiogenic shock, left ventricular assist devices and heart transplantation.

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.

The development of a machine learning algorithm for early detection of viral hepatitis B infection in Nigerian patients.

Access to Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) testing for people in low-resource settings has long been challenging due to the gold standard, enzyme immunoassay, being prohibitively expensive, and requiring specialised skills and facilities that are not readily available, particularly in remote and isolated laboratories. Routine pathology data in tandem with cutting-edge machine learning shows promising diagnostic potential. In this study, recursive partitioning ("trees") and Support Vector Machines (SVMs) were applied to interrogate patient dataset (n = 916) that comprised results for Hepatitis B Surface Antigen (HBsAg) and routine clinical chemistry and haematology blood tests.

Prognostic Significance of Pre-Discharge Plasma BNP among Heart Failure Patients in Ilorin, Nigeria.

Introduction: Although the usefulness of plasma brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) in early diagnosis of heart failure has been extensively studied, its value in predicting outcome of these patients has not been fully determined, particularly among African patients.

Objective: This study was aimed to evaluating the prognostic implications of pre-discharge BNP among hospitalized heart failure patients in Nigeria.

Methods: One hundred consecutive acutely decompensated heart failure patients managed in our center were recruited into the study.

Prevalence and Predictors of White Coat Hypertension among Newly-Diagnosed Hypertensive Patients in a Tertiary Health Centre in Nigeria.

Background: Failure to diagnose and adequately classify newly-diagnosed hypertensive patients may lead to non-recognition of White Coat Hypertension (WCH) and inappropriate use of antihypertensive medications. This study determined the prevalence and predictors of white coat hypertension among newly-diagnosed hypertensive patients in a tertiary health centre in Nigeria.

Methods: One hundred and twenty newly-diagnosed hypertensive patients and 120 controls were recruited for the study.

The Use of First Line Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy (HAART) is Not Associated with Qtc Prolongation in HIV Patients.

Background: HAART has improved survival of HIV patients. Its contribution to the development of new cardiovascular abnormalities has generated much interest. This study aimed at determining the prevalence of QTc prolongation among HIV patients and determining the influence if any of the use of HAART on the QTc and on the risk of having QTc prolongation.

Structural echocardiographic abnormalities seen in HIV/AIDS patients are independent of cd4 count.

Introduction: The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection remains one of the most daunting public health challenges today. Cardiac involvement in HIV/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is frequent and has been recognized on autopsy since the emergence of the pandemic. The objective of the study was to assess the pattern of structural echocardiographic (echo) findings in HIV/AIDS patients and compare this to the echo findings in apparently healthy HIV-negative controls.

Racial differences in the ECG--selected aspects.

Introduction: Racial differences in the ECG have been known about for many years but there has been no significant comparison of large population groups. This study set out to remedy this shortcoming.

Methods: Digital ECG data were available for four population samples gathered in Scotland, Taiwan, Nigeria and India.

Automatic detection of end QRS notching or slurring.

The purpose of this study was to define criteria suited to automated detection of end QRS notching and slurring and to evaluate their accuracy. One hundred resting 12 lead ECGs from young adult men, split randomly into equal training and test sets, were examined independently by two reviewers for the presence of such notching or slurring. Consensus was reached by re-examination.

Normal limits of the electrocardiogram in Nigerians.

Background: There has been no large study of ECG measures derived by automated methods in an apparently healthy indigenous West African population.

Methods: ECGs were recorded from apparently healthy Nigerians and analysed using automated methods. Age and sex based normal ranges were then established.

Knowledge and practice of hypertensive patients as seen in a tertiary hospital in the middle belt of Nigeria.

Background: Hypertension remains the commonest non-communicable disease in Nigeria and a leading cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Knowledge and practice among hypertensive patients were therefore assessed as a prelude towards attaining better blood pressure control.

Materials And Method: 224 consecutive hypertensive patients were prospectively studied using a pre-tested questionnaire.

Relationship between left ventricular diastolic function and geometric patterns in Nigerians with newly diagnosed systemic hypertension.

Background: It is not known whether abnormalities of left ventricular diastolic function are influenced by the various cardiac geometric patterns in Nigerians with newly diagnosed systemic hypertension.

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between the parameters of left ventricular diastolic function and the geometric patterns in this group of patients.

Methods: Two-dimensional, guided M-mode echocardiography including Doppler was performed in 150 consecutive, newly diagnosed hypertensive individuals and normotensive controls aged between 35 and 74 years.

Prognostic significance of QT interval prolongation in adult Nigerians with chronic heart failure.

Background And Objectives: Prognostic survival studies for heart-rate corrected QT interval in patients with chronic heart failure are few; although these patients are known to have a high risk of sudden cardiac death. This study was aimed at determining the mortality risk associated with prolonged QTc in Nigerians with heart failure.

Materials And Method: Ninety-six consecutive patients with heart failure were recruited with 90 age and sex-matched controls.

Prevalence of QTc prolongation in adult Nigerians with chronic heart failure.

Background: The heart rate corrected QT interval (QTc) on the electrocardiogram (ECG) has been proposed as a risk factor for ventricular arrhythmias and death in apparently healthy populations, patients with myocardial infarction and diabetes mellitus. However, data on the significance of QTc prolongation in heart failure are scarce.

Objective: Our objective was to examine the prevalence of QTc prolongation in adult Nigerians with heart failure and its association with arrhythmias.

Human immunodeficiency virus-associated tuberculosis: pattern and trend in the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital.

To define the incidence and spectrum of extra pulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) and the trend of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected patients in the University of Ilorin teaching hospital, a tertiary care centre in Nigeria. Review of all PTB cases diagnosed by Ziehl-Neelsen staining technique and EPTB diagnosed by tissue histology and/or cytology between January 2000 and December 2004. HIV/TB coinfection occurred in 40% (297 cases) of the 744 new cases of tuberculosis (TB) seen in the last 5 years, HIV/PTB occurred in 79% and HIV/EPTB occurred in 21%.

Prevalence and determinants of erectile dysfunction among people with type 2 diabetes in Ilorin, Nigeria.

Study Objectives: To determine the prevalence and determinants of Erectile Dysfunction (ED) among men with Type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Materials And Methods: Seventy-seven adult men with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus were assessed for Erectile Dysfunction using the 'IIEF-5' questionnaire. They were also assessed for the presence of certain clinical factors in other to determine their degree of correlation with ED.

Left ventricular hypertrophy and hypertension.

Background: Hypertension is the commonest non-communicable disease in our environment. Left ventricular hypertrophy is quite prevalent among this category of patients.

Methods: An endeavour was therefore made to review the literature on left ventricular hypertrophy in hypertension using MEDLINE and bibliographic searches for English language studies.

Blood sugar control among fasting Muslims with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Ilorin.

Fasting in the month of Ramadan represents a recurring annual event in the life of a Muslim. It also represents one of the five pillars around which the Islamic faith revolves making it desirable to even diabetic Muslims if only to live a spiritually fulfilling life. We therefore embarked upon the study of 33 patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus who fasted in the month of Ramadan of 1417 Hijra year (1997 Gregorian) with a view to establishing the effect of fasting on their blood sugar control.

Correlation between left ventricular mass and electrocardiographic variables among hypertensive Nigerians.

In a study of 60 newly diagnosed hypertensive patients, left ventricular mass was assessed echocardiographically by 2-D-derived M-mode, using the Penn cube function. Electrocardiographic variables of R1, RaVF, RaVL, RV5, RV6, SV1, SV2, SV1 + RV6, SV2 + RV6 and Estes' point score were determined for each of the patients. These variables were then compared in-turn with the left ventricular mass to determine the degree of correlation.