The Prevalence of Orthostatic Hypotension in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients in a Diabetic Clinic in Enugu South-East Nigeria

BACKGROUND: Orthostatic Hypotension is a serious and common complication of diabetes mellitus.AIMS: To determine the prevalence and risk factors of Orthostatic Hypotension in type 2 diabetic patients in a diabetes mellitus clinic in Enugu South-East Nigeria.METHOD AND MATERIALS: A structured questionnaire was administered to the eligible and consenting seventy type 2 diabetes mellitus patients.The supine and erect blood pressures of each patient were recorded. The patients with Orthostatic Hypotension were compared with those withoutOrthostatic Hypotension for different clinical and biochemical parameters.STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: The data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 19 software. Odds ratio was calculated for the presence of Orthostatic Hypotension amongst thevariables and p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.RESULTS: The prevalence of Orthostatic Hypotension in type 2 diabetic patients was 23.3%. Orthostatic Hypotension had statistically significant association with the presence of peripheral neuropathy, retinopathyand proteinuria.CONCLUSIONS: Orthostatic Hypotension is a common complication in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients seen at Enugu. It is recommended thatmeasurement of erect and supine blood pressures should be part of the standard care of type 2 diabetic patients.  KEY WORDS: Prevalence, orthostatic, hypotension, Enugu, Nigeri

Hypoglycaemic and Haematinic properties of ethanol leaf extract of Artocarpus heterophyllus in alloxan induced diabetic rats.

Background: Anaemia is known to be associated with diabetes; moreover, with the increasing cases of diabetes there is need for the use of more affordable alternative herbal medicines for the treatment of diabetes and anaemia. The aim of this work was to evaluate the hypoglycaemic and haematinic properties of Artocarpus heteropyllus on diabetic rats.Materials and Methods: Ethanol leaf extract of Artocarpus heteropyllus was screened for phytochemicals and its acute toxicity was tested on mice. Induction of diabetes was done at a dose of 150 mg/kg body weight (b.w) (with exception of the control group). The extract was administered to rats for a period of 7 days at 100, 300 and 500 mg/kg b.w, respectively, following induction. Blood samples of rats were tested for fasting blood sugar (FBS), packed cell volume (PCV), white blood cell (WBC), red blood cell (RBC), haemoglobin, neutrophil lymphocyte and eosinophil counts.Results: The ethanol leaf extract of A. heterophyllus showed no mortality up to a dose of 5000 mg/kg b.w. Administration of the extract to diabetic rats resulted in a decrease in the FBS of diabetic rat, and significant increases (p< 0.05) in RBC, PCV, WBC and haemoglobin levels.Conclusion: The ethanol leaf extract of A. heterophyllus increased the haematological indices of diabetic rats. Our findings support the use of this plant as an herbal alternative in the treatment of diabetes and anaemia associated diabetes.Key words: Diabetes, Hypoglycaemia, Haematology, Alloxan, Oxidative stress

The Nigeria Parkinson Disease Registry: Process, Profile, and Prospects of a Collaborative Project

BACKGROUND: Clinical disease registries are useful for quality improvement in care, benchmarking standards, and facilitating research. Collaborative networks established thence can enhance national and international studies by generating more robust samples and credible data and promote knowledge sharing and capacity building. This report describes the methodology, baseline data, and prospects of the Nigeria Parkinson Disease Registry. METHODS: This national registry was established in November 2016. Ethics approval was obtained for all sites. Basic anonymized data for consecutive cases fulfilling the United Kingdom Parkinson's Disease Brain Bank criteria (except the exclusion criterion of affected family members) are registered by participating neurologists via a secure registry website (www.parkinsonnigeria.com) using a minimal common data capture format. RESULTS: The registry had captured 578 participants from 5 of 6 geopolitical zones in Nigeria by July 2019 (72.5% men). Mean age at onset was 60.3 ± 10.7 years; median disease duration (interquartile range) was 36 months (18–60.5 months). Young‐onset disease (<50 years) represented 15.2%. A family history was documented in 4.5% and 7.8% with age at onset <50 and ≥ 50, respectively. The most frequent initial symptom was tremor (45.3%). At inclusion, 93.4% were on treatment (54.5% on levodopa monotherapy). Per‐capita direct cost for the registry was $3.37. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first published national Parkinson's disease registry in sub‐Saharan Africa. The registry will serve as a platform for development of multipronged evidence‐based policies and initiatives to improve quality of care of Parkinson's disease and research engagement in Nigeria