Pattern of Skin disorders across age groups

Objective: Pattern of skin diseases has been noted to differ across age groups both in specific types and in clinical manifestations. This variation across age groups has been attributed to growth and development of the skin; to complex hormonal changes occurring at different stages of life; and environmental factors. To highlight differences in the pattern of presentation of skin disorders in different age groups with respect to the characteristic physiological changes in patients seen at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital.Methods: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study done at the dermatology clinic. Demographic data and diagnoses were extracted from the clinical records of all new patients seen between January 2010 and December 2014 (a five year period). These were captured on Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and analyzed using SPSS 21.Results: Infections and eczematous conditions were the most prominent group(s) of cutaneous disorders across all ages though acne vulgaris ranked high in adolescents/young adults. Nutritional dermatoses, infestations and genetic disorders occurred predominantly in the pediatric age group. All other diseases peaked in the adult group whilst infections, eczemas and papulosquamous disorders had two peaks (in the pediatric and the adult age group).Conclusion: Infections and eczematous condition were the most prominent group of cutaneous disorder across all ages apart from acne vulgaris which ranked high in the adolescents/young adults. Knowledge of this will help in health planning and early diagnosis of skin disorders.Keywords: Skin, Age Groups, Infections, Eczemas, Acne vulgari

Conceptual Design and Implementation of a Cloud Computing Platform Paradigm

In recent times, organizations all over the world have stopped expanding infrastructures and building competencies in IT for enhanced efficiencies. Rather, they focus on their primary lines of businesses and “simply” connect to an existing IT cloud in the neighborhood or on the internet for their IT demands. Cloud computing is a new paradigm of large-scale distributed computing that centralizes the data and computation on the virtual “super computer” with unprecedented storage and computing capabilities. This paper focuses on the design of a conceptual framework and implementation of a cloud computing platform. This study attempts to design a platform on which users can plug-in anytime from anywhere and utilize enormous computing resources at a relatively low cost. Alongside the design, the mathematical model structures that support the design of the framework are explicitly described. The study is of paramount importance because the new framework provides opportunity to avoid network congestions that degrade performance among other shortcomings being experienced in some implementation cases. Keywords: Cloud Computing, Framework, Platform, Paradig

Clinical, epidemiological characteristics and associated factors of hair greying in Lagos, Nigeria

Objective: To document the epidemiological, clinical characteristics, believed triggers and associated behaviour in hair greying.Design: A community based cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in February 2020 following ethical ap-proval and written informed consent from participants. All participants were clinically evaluated for hair greying, its pattern and location on the scalp. Socio-demographic data were documented. Data was entered and analyzed using the IBM statistics software version 22. Numerical and categorical variables are presented.Setting: The study was conducted at an urban market in Lagos, Nigeria.Participants: The study participants comprised 307 adult traders.Results: The mean age of the 307 participants studied was 42.7±12.8 years. The prevalence of hair greying was 47.6% (51% in males and 45.9% in females). The median (IQR) age of those with grey hair was 52 (44, 59) years. The prevalence of hair greying was 14.8% in those aged 30-34 years and 97.2% in those aged 60 years and above. The prevalence of premature greying was 17.7% and greying before friends and family members was reported at 19.9% and 13%, respectively. Grey hair was diffuse in 81.5%; localized to the frontal area of the scalp in 55.5%. Use of hair dye was noted in 15.8%.Conclusion: Hair greying is common in the study population. The age at onset is 30 years. Premature hair greying is uncommon in Nigeria. More epidemiological studies of hair greying especially of premature hair greying are needed

International league of associations for rheumatology recommendations for the management of psoriatic arthritis in resource-poor settings

Background Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a challenging heterogeneous disease. The European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) and the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and PsA (GRAPPA) last published their respective recommendations for the management of PsA in 2015. However, these guidelines are primarily based on studies conducted in resource replete countries and may not be applicable in countries in the Americas (except Canada and USA) and Africa. We sought to adapt the existing recommendations for these regions under the auspices of the International League of Associations for Rheumatology (ILAR). Process The ADAPTE Collaboration (2009) process for guideline adaptation was followed to adapt the EULAR and GRAPPA PsA treatment recommendations for the Americas and Africa. The process was conducted in three recommended phases: set-up phase; adaptation phase (defining health questions, assessing source recommendations, drafting report), and finalization phase (external review, aftercare planning, and final production). Result ILAR recommendations have been derived principally by adapting the GRAPPA recommendations, additionally, EULAR recommendations where appropriate and supplemented by expert opinion and literature from these regions. A paucity of data relevant to resource-poor settings was found in PsA management literature. Conclusion The ILAR Treatment Recommendations for PsA intends to serve as reference for the management of PsA in the Americas and Africa. This paper illustrates the experience of an international working group in adapting existing recommendations to a resource-poor setting. It highlights the need to conduct research on the management of PsA in these regions as data are currently lacking

Chromate Dermatitis in Nigeria

Potassium dichromate has replaced nickel as the most common sensitizer in recent studies at the skin clinic of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH). Other workers from the North American Contact Dermatitis Research Group, Mayo clinic and Massachusetts also noted an increasing prevalence. This study aimed to highlight the clinical features and sources of chromate allergy in our environment in view of the high prevalence of chromate dermatitis in recent studies done at the skin clinic of LUTH. The demographic data and clinical findings of all consecutive patients with positive patch test responses to potassium dichromate, within a one year period, were obtained using a self administered questionnaire. The analyses were done on the Epi Info software. There was a male preponderance of chromate allergy; male to female ratio was 1.75: 1. All the patients presented with features of chronic and acute on chronic eczema. The lower limbs were most affected which correlated with the finding of shoes as the most common source of contact allergy to potassium dichromate. Concomitant allergy to nickel and cobalt chloride was noted most frequently. Non occupational sources of chromate were more important than the occupational sources in this study

Routine Patch Testing In A Dermatology Clinic Of A Teaching Hospital In Nigeria

Introduction: Allergic Contact Dermatitis (ACD) poses a great diagnostic challenge to the dermatologist as it mimics many common dermatoses. Patch test (PT) is used to establish the diagnosis of ACD and to exclude suspected allergens. Aim: This study reviewed the clinical presentations and patch test results of consecutive patients with the diagnosis of allergic contact dermatitis seen at the skin clinic of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH). Methods: This was a prospective study of all patients that presented with features of allergic contact dermatitis at the skin clinic of LUTH between September 2003 and October 2004. One hundred and two patients with ACD and 100 controls were patch tested and included in the sample size. Results: Allergic contact dermatitis accounted for 7.7% of patients that presented at the dermatology clinic of LUTH during the study period. There was a slight female preponderance and the highest number of patients presented between the ages of 21 and 40. Features of chronic eczema were found in 71.4% of patients. Sixty patients (58.3%) and 26 controls (26%) had positive patch test responses. There was a statistically significant difference between the patch test responses in patients and controls. The specificity of the patch test procedure was 74% and the sensitivity was 58.8%. Conclusion: Patients with allergic contact dermatitis will benefit from routine patch test for aetiological diagnosis and to prevent chronicity NQJHM Vol. 17 (4) 2007: pp. 160-16

Acute Renal Failure Due to Massive Envenomation Byafricanized Beestings (Hymenoptera Apis Species) - A Case Report

We present a case of a 50 years old gardener who had multiple beestings. He had no significant feature of anaphylaxis and initially appeared to be improving with fluids, steroids and antihistamines until few days into hospital admission, when he developed features of uraemia. A diagnosis of acute renal failure secondary to massive envenomation after multiple beestings was made. He was managed conservatively for acute renal failure whilst being prepared for dialysis. He however died some days later before having dialysis due to financial constraint. This case is presented with a view to documenting the occurrence in an African Nigerian. Key Words: Africanized bees, Acute Renal Failure, Nigerian African Nig. Medical Practitioner Vol. 44(3) 2003: 64-6

The Pityriasis Rosea Calender: A 7 year review of seasonal variation, age and sex distribution.

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