Accuracy of mid upper arm circumference in detection of obesity among school children in Yenagoa City, South-south region of Nigeria

Background: The search for alternative method that is easier and less cumbersome than body mass index (BMI), for identification of obese individuals has been controversially discussed in recent literature. This study was carried out to determine the accuracy of Mid Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) compared to BMI. Method: We recruited 920 children aged 5–18 years from primary and secondary schools in Yenagoa in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria using a multistage random sampling technique. Weight, height and MUAC of the children were measured using standard methods. We calculated BMI, defined obesity as BMI-for-age z- scores >2 and the corresponding cut-off values of MUAC for defining obesity were determined. Sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive values (NPV) and positive predictive values (PPV) of MUAC were determined using BMI as the gold standard. Area under the ROC (AUC) was also determined to assess MUAC’s ability to correctly identify obesity. Results: MUAC correlated positively with BMI and age, the cut-off values increased with age in both boys and girls. When compared with BMI, using sex and age group specific cut-off for MUAC, the estimated specificities were relatively higher than sensitivities in all age groups. However, the best performance of MUAC for detection of obesity was recorded for girls (AUC = 0.94, 96% CI = 0.89, 0.99) and boys (AUC = 0.89, 95% CI = 0.78, 0.99) in age group 10-14 years. Similarly, the NPV were higher than the PPV. Conclusion: The MUAC showed remarkably high accuracy for diagnostic and screening use among children aged 10-14 years but inconsistent results in other age groups

Profile Of Haematological Emergencies In A Tertiary Hospital In Lagos, Nigeria: A 3 Year Retrospective Study

Background: Haematological emergencies are usually acute and life threatening conditions. Prompt and accurate diagnosis and institution of appropriate management is essential in order to reduce associated morbidities and/or mortalities. The knowledge of most emergencies is important and emergency physicians should be able to recognize and institute basic and potentially lifesavingtreatment. This study seeks to evaluate the pattern of haematological emergencies presenting at the Medical Emergency Department of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital. Method: A retrospective study of medical records of the medical emergency department in LASUTH was assessed over a period of thirty six months between st st January 1 2015 and December 31 2017. Results: A total of 5498 patients' records were assessed. Non haematological diseases accounted for most of the emergencies (98.4%). 88 of 5498 (1.6%) were haematological emergencies out of which 66 (1.2%) were sickle cell anaemia patients in crisis. The commonest crisis seen was vasoocclusive crisis. Conclusion: Sickle cell anaemia crisis is the commonest haematological emergency seen at the Medical emergency department of LASUTH while the overwhelming majority of the cases seen were nonhaematological. Keywords: Haematological, non haematological, emergencies, sickle cell crisi

Haematological Parameters of Patients Attending the Geriatric Clinic of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria

Normal aging process is related to a decline in the functional reserve of multiple organ systems which increases the probability of disease. Full blood count (or complete blood count) is one of the commonest laboratory investigations requested worldwide, and has numerous uses in the diagnosis and monitoring of different morbidities. Available literature suggest that an inverse relationship exists between most haematological parameters and age. It has been documented that aging leads to a decline in haemoglobin (Hb), packed cell volume (PCV), white blood cells (WBC) and platelet (PLT); and this suggest a reduction in bone marrow reserves. The aim of this study was to estimate the reference ranges for commonly used haematological parameters in patients attending the geriatric clinic in a Nigeria tertiary hospital. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study involving 100 geriatric patients with mean age of 71.3 + 74 years attending the Geriatric clinic of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital. All participants' blood samples were collected and their full blood count was determined. The mean Hb concentration for the entire group was 11.43 ± 1.79g/dl with a mean of 11.84 ± 2.08 g/dl in males and 11.17 ± 1.54 g/dlin females. All these values were below the accepted reference ranges. However, the WBC and PLT counts were all within normal reference values. The mean Hb was higher in males than females and this difference was statistically significant (P= 0.01). In conclusion, evidence of lowered Hb level and normal WBC and PLT levels in the geriatrics population suggests aging may not affect all haematological indices production