Acute Respiratory Infections in the Middle-Belt Region of Nigeria

Background: ARI continues to be a leeding cause of death among children globally beyond the year 2000. Close 12 million children under the age of 5years die each year in the developing countries, mainly from preventable causes and approximately 2.28 million (19%) were due to acute respiratory infections (ARI). It therefore became necessary to assess the present status of the disease in Nigeria to mastermind workable plans for reducing the mortality and morbidity burden.Methods: A designed pro-forma was used to collect and collate information from mothers or direct care givers of children at both hospital and community levels relating to family background, home setting, anthropometry, clinical presentation of ARI, previous medications, investigations, complications and outcomes of illness.Results: A total of 163 children were recruited for the study. One hundred and six had moderate and severe form of ARI while 57 had mild form. The in-patients accounted for 15.2% of all the admission within the study period.All children were under 12 years of age with male preponderance. Fast breathing, Tarchypnoea, Cough and Fever were the leading ways of presentations. The immunization coverage of study population by various antigens in the EPI were poor. Majority of the hospital children had pre-consultation antibiotics while none of the children from the rural community had pre-recruitment antibiotics. Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus were the leading organisms isolated with good sensitivity to Quinolones, Gentamycin and Cephalosporins. Heart failure was the leading complications. Mortality was 12.3% among the hospitalized patient and none among the community children.Conclusion: It was concluded that ARI is still a major cause of morbidity and mortality among children with opportunity for burden reduction.Keywords: Acute Respiratory Infection, present outlook, burde

Cryptococcal Meningitis, A Rare Opportunistic Infection In An HIV Infected Nigerian Boy: A Case Report

Cryptococcal meningitis (CM) is an uncommon opportunistic infection in HIV infected children. Few childhood cases have been reported in literature. This is the second case report in a Nigerian child and the first at our hospital. A 13 year old boy presented with fever, cough, neck pain, convulsions and altered sensorium. He was assessed clinically and results of laboratory investigations supported a diagnosis of CM. He was diagnosed HIV positive at the same time with a history of blood transfusions in a private hospital. Unfortunately, appropriate intravenous anti-fungal to be used for treatment were not available and child died within a week of diagnosis. The pandemicity of HIV requires that a high index of suspicion be maintained to detect invasive fungal infections like CM. Efforts should also be made to ensure availability of appropriate antifungal, such as amphotericin B, for prompt treatment of affected persons. There is similarly the need to reinforce the campaign on screening of blood and blood products to prevent HIV transmission. Key words: Cryptococcal meningitis, Nigerian child, HIV/AID

Screening response to hepatitis c virus antibodies among diabetic patients attending a tertiary hospital in Nigeria

Epidemiological studies have suggested that hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a risk factor for the development of diabetes mellitus (DM) type 2; hence, this study was carried out to investigate the prevalence of HCV antibodies among diabetic patients attending the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), Ilorin, north central Nigeria. One hundred and eighty (180) diabetic patients made up of seventy-five males (41.7%) and 105 females (58.3%) were recruited for the study. Structured questionnaire on demographic data and risk factors for HCV was administered to the participants. The sera of all the subjects were assayed for antibodies to HCV using a fourth generation Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) method. The overall prevalence of HCV infection among diabetic patients was 5.0%. Of the nine participants’ positive for HCV antibodies, three were males (1.7%), while six were females (3.3%). Although more female attended the diabetic clinic, there was no significant difference between HCV infection across sex (P = 0.603; p>0.05). The prevalence of HCV infection was highest in the 40-60 age group. Two of the sero-positive individuals had elevated transaminases, with one of the two being an alcohol consumer. Since type 2 diabetes is a debilitating disease condition, especially in individuals above 30 years of age, these results highlight the need for screening to determine the presence of HCV among diabetic patients.Keywords: Hepatitis C virus, antibodies, type 2 diabetics, antibodies, NigeriaInternational Journal of Natural and Applied Sciences, 6(3): 306-310, 201