Pattern of Rheumatic Diseases in a New Rheumatology Clinic in Southwestern Nigeria: A Descriptive Study.

Background/objective: Rheumatic diseases (RMDs) are among the leading health burdens and causes of disability globally. Interestingly, they are on the rise due to the increasingly ageing population. Inflammatory RMDs are not left behind in the rise, especially in Africa, where they were thought to be rare as there has been increasing reportage of these diseases in recent years.

Pattern of systemic lupus erythematosus in NIGERIA: a multicentre descriptive hospital-based study.

Introduction: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease with manifestations ranging from mild to life-threatening organ dysfunction. There is wide variability in the reported incidence and prevalence rate globally, particularly in low and middle-income countries. Nigeria had very few isolated reports of SLE from private and public hospitals Therefore, we conducted this large multi-center descriptive study to determine the sociodemographic, clinical profile, laboratory patterns, and treatment among Nigerian lupus patients.

Comparative histopathological analyses of non-scarring alopecia in systemic lupus erythematosus patients in Lagos Nigeria.

Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is known to cause non-scarring alopecia. However, histopathological evaluation is uncommon.

Aim: The objective of this study was to document the histopathology of non-scarring alopecia and to compare histopathology of alopecic and normal appearing scalp areas in SLE hair loss patients.

Frequency, pattern, and associations of generalized osteoarthritis among Nigerians with knee osteoarthritis.

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common degenerative condition leading to significant pain, functional limitation, and economic loss. Generalized OA (GOA) is associated with greater morbidity and accounts for 5-25% of total OA cases depending on definition used. This paper aims to determine the frequency and pattern of GOA, compare clinical and laboratory parameters of GOA and non-GOA subjects, then identify independent associations of GOA among Nigerians with knee OA.

African League Against Rheumatism (AFLAR) preliminary recommendations on the management of rheumatic diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objectives: To develop recommendations for the management of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Method: A task force comprising of 25 rheumatologists from the 5 regions of the continent was formed and operated through a hub-and-spoke model with a central working committee (CWC) and 4 subgroups. The subgroups championed separate scopes of the clinical questions and formulated preliminary statements of recommendations which were processed centrally in the CWC.

Connective tissue disease--associated interstitial lung disease: an underreported cause of interstitial lung disease in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) occurs in 15% of connective tissue disease (CTD) patients causing considerable morbidity and mortality. Data is scarce regarding its clinical characteristics and outcomes in Africa. We aim to study the frequency, clinico-radiological characteristics, and treatment outcomes of African CTD-ILD patients.

Takayasu's Arteritis Presenting Atypically in a Female Nigerian.

Takayasu's arteritis (TA) is an idiopathic form of large vessel granulomatous vasculitis that mainly affects the aorta and its major branches, most frequently in young women under 50 years. While traditionally, it is a disease found commonly in Asia continent, it has also been reported from different parts of the world, albeit with a few reports from Sub-Sahara Africa. The clinical presentations are variable and are commonly from systemic inflammation, vascular occlusive diseases and aneurysm.

Spectrum of musculoskeletal disorders in Nigerians with types 2 diabetes mellitus: prevalence and predictors.

Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions are more frequently found among patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) than in the non-diabetics. Despite several reports outside Africa, they have been under-studied among Africans. This study aimed to assess the overall prevalence and predictors of MSK conditions in Nigerian with types 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Tossing and turning with degenerative arthropathy: an assessment of poor sleep quality in knee osteoarthritis.

Objectives: To determine the frequency and predictors of sleep abnormalities among patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) in Nigeria.

Material And Methods: A multi-centre, hospital-based, cross-sectional study, involving 250 knee OA patients. Consenting patients 18 years and above, who satisfied the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria for knee OA were recruited from five Nigerian tertiary centres over 3 months.

The Prevalence of Occult Hepatitis B Infection among Blood Donors in Lagos, Nigeria.

Background: In occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, the HBV DNA is present in the blood or liver tissue in patients negative for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) with or without anti-HBV antibodies. Thus, the absence of HBsAg in the blood only reduces the risk of transmission and is not sufficient enough to ensure the absence of HBV infection.

Aim: This study was aimed at determining the prevalence of occult HBV infection among blood donors in Lagos.

Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis in a Nigerian woman.

Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), previously called Churg-Strauss Syndrome, is a systemic autoimmune disease that is usually associated with asthma and eosinophilia. It is a rare condition associated with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA). We report a case of a 52-year-old Nigerian woman who presented with bilateral leg swelling with multiple ulcers, background history of allergic rhinitis and chronic sinusitis since adolescence.

How much gloom is in groans? Depression and its determinants in Nigerian patients with knee osteoarthritis: a multi-center cross-sectional study.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of depression and its determinants among Nigerian patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods: Two hundred and fifty patients satisfying the American College of Rheumatology classification criteria for knee OA were recruited from five centers. Pain was assessed using Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Index (WOMAC) pain subscale, functional status was determined by Steinbrokers criteria, radiographic knee OA was graded using Kellgren-Lawrence criteria, depression was determined using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), sleep quality by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and family functioning by Family APGAR (Adaptation, Partnership, Growth, Affection, and Resolve).

Recurrent spontaneous subcutaneous emphysema in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis.

Pulmonary air leak syndromes are extremely rare complications of systemic autoimmune connective tissue diseases and the occurrence of spontaneous subcutaneous emphysema (SSE) from pulmonary leak in the absence of pneumothorax or pneumomediastinum is even rarer. We report a case of recurrent SSE in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis and interstitial lung disease. The SSE was managed conservatively each time and it resorbed over several days.

Nephritis as an initial diagnosis of lupus in Nigerian patients.

Background: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a multi-systemic autoimmune disease. Renal involvement is a common complication, causing considerable mortality and morbidity. SLE is rarely reported among black Africans, though recent reports from Nigeria indicate otherwise.

Juvenile dermatomyositis in a Nigerian girl.

Juvenile dermatomyositis is an autoimmune connective tissue disease occurring in children less than 16 years old. It is part of a heterogeneous group of muscle diseases called idiopathic Iiflammatory myopathies. It had previously been reported in black Africans resident in UK.

Inflammatory myopathies in Nigerians: case series and literature review.

Background: Idiopathic Inflammatory myopathies (IIM) are rare connective tissue diseases and have been rarely reported among Nigerians:

Objective: To study the clinical, laboratory and electromyographic characteristics of Nigerian patients with polymyositis and dermatomyositis.

Method: In a retrospective study, patients attending a private practice rheumatology clinic in Lagos and fulfilling the Bohan and Peter's criteria for polymyositis and dermatomyositis were examined and common causes of proximal muscle weakness were excluded. Haematological, biochemical, serological and electromyographic studies were carried out.

Digital gangrene as the initial presentation of systemic lupus erythematosus.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has rarely been reported among African blacks. However, recent reports may indicate otherwise. Digital gangrene in lupus patients has been reported in different populations and has mostly been seen in patients with long-standing lupus.