Lipid profile and cardiovascular risk indices of women on various types of contraceptives in the Ho Municipality of Ghana

Background: Hormonal contraceptives (HCs) have been successfully used worldwide to prevent pregnancy by inhibiting ovulation and implantation. These contraceptives have effects on lipid metabolism, body fat and blood pressure which are all risk factors for cardio vascular disease (CVD). Some studies have reported that prolonged use of these hormone-based contraceptives have negative effect on cardiovascular risk indices, however, few of such studies have been done in Ghana, hence this study sought to examine the effect of various forms of contraceptives on cardio vascular risk indices in the Volta Region of Ghana.Methods: Purposive random sampling was employed in selecting women on various forms of contraceptives and aged-matched controls into the study. Fasting blood sample was collected from each participant after overnight fast for 10-16 hours into plain tubes and the sera used to determine lipid profile. Socio-demographic and BMI variables were also analyzed in this case-control study.Results: Statistically significant differences were observed for Diastolic Blood Pressure (DBP) (p=0.0153), High Density Lipoprotein levels (HDL) (p=0.001), and the atherogenic index (p=0.0101) between the cases and the controls.Conclusions: The use of HC significantly affects the DBP, HDL and atherogenic index and these could pose substantial risk for the development of CVD

Gestational diabetes mellitus and obstetric outcomes in a Ghanaian community

Introduction: this study was aimed at evaluating effect of Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and maternal characteristics on pregnancy outcome. GDM has several risk factors including; advanced maternal age, ethnic background, obesity and family history of diabetes mellitus. These pregnancy complications are associated with fetal morbidity and mortality and may lead to macrosomia and shoulder dystocia. Others are stillbirth, miscarriages, preterm and small for gestational age babies. Methods: this was a retrospective case-case control study which compared maternal characteristics and pregnancy outcome among pregnant women with and without GDM. Diagnosis of GDM was done in accordance with the American Diabetes Association (ADA) criteria. Weight and height were determined and Body mass index (BMI) calculated. Pregnancy outcome was determined at the end of pregnancy and information on maternal characteristics obtained using questionnaire and patient folders. Results: those who developed GDM were significantly older (OR= 1.772; 95% CI =1.432-2.192; P<0.0001) and had higher BMI (OR=1.637; 95% CI=1.004-1.289; P=0.044) than those who did not. A significant number of those who developed GDM also had stillbirths OR= 5.188; 95% CI=1.093-24.613; p=0.038) and cesarean deliveries (OR=14.362; 95% CI=3.661-56.335; p= 0.001). Conclusion: women who develop GDM are more likely to deliver stillborn or macrosmic babies and may require surgical intervention in order to have normal deliveries

Gestational diabetes mellitus and obstetric outcomes in a Ghanaian community

Background: This study was aimed at evaluating effect of Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and maternal characteristics on pregnancy outcomes. GDM has several risk factors including; advanced maternal age, ethnic background, obesity and family history of diabetes mellitus. These pregnancy complications are associated with fetal morbidity and mortality and may lead to macrosomia and shoulder dystocia. Others are stillbirth, miscarriages, preterm and small for gestational age babies.Methods: This was a retrospective case-control study which compared maternal characteristics and pregnancy outcome among pregnant women with and without GDM. Diagnosis of GDM was done in accordance with the American Diabetes Association (ADA) criteria. Weight and height were determined and Body mass index (BMI) calculated. Pregnancy outcome was determined at the end of pregnancy and information on maternal characteristics obtained using questionnaire and patient folders.Results: Those who developed GDM were significantly older (OR=1.772; 95% CI=1.432-2.192; P<0.0001) and had higher BMI (OR=1.637; 95% CI=1.004-1.289; P=0.044) than those who did not. A significant number of those who developed GDM also had stillbirths (OR= 5.188; 95% CI=1.093-24.613; p=0.038) and cesarean deliveries (OR=14.362; 95% CI=3.661-56.335; p= 0.001).Conclusions: Women who develop GDM are more likely to deliver stillborn or macrosmic babies and may require surgical intervention in order to have normal deliveries

SERO-prevalence of herpes simplex virus type 1 and type 2 among women attending routine Cervicare clinics in Ghana

Abstract Background Herpes simplex virus infection is a global health concern with disproportionately high burden in low and middle-income countries. There is a paucity of data on the prevalence of HSV infection in Ghana, which necessitated the present study. The aim of the study was to provide up-to-date data on sero-prevalence of HSV-1 and HSV-2 infection among women attending Cervicare clinics in Ghana. Methods This was a cross-sectional study in which 380 women attending routine Cervicare clinics at Regional Hospitals in Kumasi and Accra, Ghana were enrolled into the study. Serum HSV-1 IgG and HSV-2 IgG were determined by ELISA method. The Chi-square test was used to investigate the association between sero-prevalence of HSV-1 and HSV-2 and socio-demographic and behavioral factors using the Statistical Package for the Social Scientists (SPSS) version 22. Statistical significance was accepted at p < 0.05. Results The overall HSV-1 and HSV-2 sero-prevalence estimates were 99.2% (95% CI: 98.0–100%) and 78.4% (95% CI: 74.5–81.8%) respectively. The study observed 78.2% cross-positive prevalence of HSV-1 and HSV-2 among the studied participants. There was no association between the presence of HSV-1 and HSV-2 infection and age (χ2 = 2.351, p = 0.799 and χ2 = 1.655, p = 0.895 respectively). Our findings however, revealed association between the prevalence of HSV-2 and the age at coitarche (p = 0.021) as well as with number of sexual partners (p = 0.022). Conclusions The sero-prevalence estimates of HSV-1 and HSV-2 among the study population of women in Ghana were found to be high. This high prevalence could be attributed to high endemicity and inadequate intervention in this population. There is the need to raise awareness through organized public health screening and education to ensure control