Enuresis in Southwestern Nigerian children: prevalence, risk factors and parental perception of treatment

Enuresis means discrete episodes of urinary incontinence in a child ≥5 years old. It is a social stigma among older children and adolescents with possible negative effect on their selfesteem and family life. Method: Enuresis was defined based on the International Children Continence Society diagnostic criteria. Structured questionnaire on basic patient information on enuresis and perceived treatment sub-scale with cronbachalpha of 0.85 was administered. Logistic regression identified predictors of enuresis The level of significance of each test was set at p< 0.05. Results: Among the 600 participating households, 58.5% had children ≥ 5 year old with enuresis. The mean household prevalence of enuresis was 22.4%(95% CI: 11.51% – 33.25%). Most of the affected households (85.5%) had one bedwetting child but 9.1% of them had two while the rest had at least three bedwetting children ≥5 year old. Their urinary symptoms include frequency (74.7%), urgency (14.8%), straining (8.8%) and cloudy urine (6.8%). Recent stressors among the enuretics include major illness (42.7%), relocation (32.2%) and bereavement (9.1%). Perception of enuresis therapies was borderline (mean score = 3.54± 0.5).Risk factors include parental history of bedwetting (OR=3.26, 95%CI = 1.65-6.45), monogamous family setting (OR=2.92, 95%CI = 1.38-6.18) and living in a room and parlor apartment (OR=2.19, 95%CI = 1.07- 4.50). Conclusion: There is a high burden of enuresis in the study setting, associated with some modifiable factors. However, there is a relatively low perception of appropriate care of the disorder highlighting the need for an awareness campaign on effective enuresis therapies

Evaluation of parental perception of childhood urinary tract infection in Ondo, Southwestern Nigeria

Background: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is common in children with possible severe complications, deserving public health interventions.Aims: To evaluate parental perception of symptoms, causes, complication and treatment of childhood UTI, and proposerelevant interventions.Methods: This is an ethicallyapproved cross-sectional study using a structured questionnaire comprising a 35-item Likert-like scale on perception of UTI in children with a reliability rating of 0.93. Adequate perception of each variable was defined as mean score ≥ 3.0. Weighted mean scores were tested for significant difference using F-test. Multiple logistic regressions identified possible predictors of adequate perception among the participants. P -value <0.05 was considered significant.Results: Altogether, 600 guardians/ parents took part in the study. Their mean age was 29.8±6.5 years and almost two-thirds of them (62.3%) were females. Only 18.3% of the participants had adequate perception of UTI in children. Their grand mean score on perception of UTI was 2.68 ± 0.52. There was an upward trend in weighted mean scores of the various subscales (F-test = 21.63, p=0.000). Significant predictors of adequate perception of UTI in this survey include female gender (OR=16.72; 95% CI: 5.77-48.43), Hausa ethnicity (OR= 0.02; 95% CI: 0.00-0.17) and polygamous family structure (OR= 2.40; 95% CI: 1.16-4.96).Conclusion: There was low parental perception of UTI in children in our study setting. Regular health education on childhood urinary tract disorders is recommended.Key words: urinary tract infection, causes, treatment, outcome, parental perceptio

Neonatal thrombocytopenic purpura: report of two cases and review of literature

Severe neonatal thrombocytopenia is a hematological emergency that can be due to increased platelet destruction(such as immune-mediated and peripheral platelet consumption) or congenital failure of platelet production. The definitive diagnosis of the underlying cause of neonatal thrombocytopenic purpurais based on both clinical and laboratory findings.Case report; We present two infants with persistent severe thrombocytopenia of distinct aetiologies: neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenic purpura and hepatitis B virus exposure. Their clinical course, haematological profile and treatments are discussed.Conclusion: This reportreiterates the need to think laterally while considering the differential diagnoses of neonatal thrombocytopenic purpura. Moreover, ithighlightsits treatment challenges in peripheral health facilities, especially in resource-limited settings

Maternal factors in the aetiology of small-for-gestational age among term Nigerian babies

Background: Babies are classified according to the relationship between birth weight and gestational age, the latter being the strongest determinant of birth weight. Small-for-gestational age (SGA) babies have birth weights less than the 10th percentile for age and sex or more than two standard deviations below the mean for age and sex.Objective: The study was carried out to investigate the maternal factorsassociated with the delivery of term small-for-gestational age babiesin a Nigerian Hospital.Methods: In the cross-sectional survey, the anthropometric parametersof term singleton infants were related to maternal age, parity, socio-economic class, anthropometry and medical disorders in pregnancy.Results: A total of 825 babies were surveyed within the first 24 hoursof life. The mean birth weight of babies was 3233 ± 539g. The males had significantly longer mean crown-heel length and mean occipitofrontal circumference compared to females p = 0.048 and p < 0.000 respectively). The prevalence of infants with small-for-gestational age was 7.2% (5.7% and 8.8% among males and females respectively). The proportion of mothers who did not encounter significant illness in pregnancy was lowestamong those who had SGA babies, followed by mothers of LGA babiesand those of AGA babies in that order. With respect to maternal age,weight, height and body mass index (except inter-pregnancy interval),mothers of SGA babies had significantly lower values compared tomothers of the AGA and LGA babies (p < 0.03).Conclusion: This study identified age, parity, anthropometry and  hypertension-related disorders as major maternal factors associated withthe birth of SGA babies in Nigeria.Keywords: Anthropometry, Intrauterine growth restriction, maternal illness, Nigeria

Co-infection Model Formulation to Evaluate the Transmission Dynamics of Malaria and Dengue Fever Virus

A mathematical model of the co-infection dynamics of malaria and dengue fever condition is formulated. In this work, the Basic reduction number is computed using the next generation method. The diseasefree equilibrium (DFE) point of the model is obtained. The local and global stability of the disease-free equilibrium point of the model is established. The result show that the DFE is locally asymptotically stable if the basic reproduction number is less than one but may not be globally asymptotically stable

Changes in preterm birth and stillbirth during COVID-19 lockdowns in 26 countries

Preterm birth (PTB) is the leading cause of infant mortality worldwide. Changes in PTB rates, ranging from −90% to +30%, were reported in many countries following early COVID-19 pandemic response measures (‘lockdowns’). It is unclear whether this variation reflects real differences in lockdown impacts, or perhaps differences in stillbirth rates and/or study designs. Here we present interrupted time series and meta-analyses using harmonized data from 52 million births in 26 countries, 18 of which had representative population-based data, with overall PTB rates ranging from 6% to 12% and stillbirth ranging from 2.5 to 10.5 per 1,000 births. We show small reductions in PTB in the first (odds ratio 0.96, 95% confidence interval 0.95–0.98, P value <0.0001), second (0.96, 0.92–0.99, 0.03) and third (0.97, 0.94–1.00, 0.09) months of lockdown, but not in the fourth month of lockdown (0.99, 0.96–1.01, 0.34), although there were some between-country differences after the first month. For high-income countries in this study, we did not observe an association between lockdown and stillbirths in the second (1.00, 0.88–1.14, 0.98), third (0.99, 0.88–1.12, 0.89) and fourth (1.01, 0.87–1.18, 0.86) months of lockdown, although we have imprecise estimates due to stillbirths being a relatively rare event. We did, however, find evidence of increased risk of stillbirth in the first month of lockdown in high-income countries (1.14, 1.02–1.29, 0.02) and, in Brazil, we found evidence for an association between lockdown and stillbirth in the second (1.09, 1.03–1.15, 0.002), third (1.10, 1.03–1.17, 0.003) and fourth (1.12, 1.05–1.19, <0.001) months of lockdown. With an estimated 14.8 million PTB annually worldwide, the modest reductions observed during early pandemic lockdowns translate into large numbers of PTB averted globally and warrant further research into causal pathways

Global age-sex-specific mortality, life expectancy, and population estimates in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, 1950–2021, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic: a comprehensive demographic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Background: Estimates of demographic metrics are crucial to assess levels and trends of population health outcomes. The profound impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on populations worldwide has underscored the need for timely estimates to understand this unprecedented event within the context of long-term population health trends. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 provides new demographic estimates for 204 countries and territories and 811 additional subnational locations from 1950 to 2021, with a particular emphasis on changes in mortality and life expectancy that occurred during the 2020–21 COVID-19 pandemic period. Methods: 22 223 data sources from vital registration, sample registration, surveys, censuses, and other sources were used to estimate mortality, with a subset of these sources used exclusively to estimate excess mortality due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 2026 data sources were used for population estimation. Additional sources were used to estimate migration; the effects of the HIV epidemic; and demographic discontinuities due to conflicts, famines, natural disasters, and pandemics, which are used as inputs for estimating mortality and population. Spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression (ST-GPR) was used to generate under-5 mortality rates, which synthesised 30 763 location-years of vital registration and sample registration data, 1365 surveys and censuses, and 80 other sources. ST-GPR was also used to estimate adult mortality (between ages 15 and 59 years) based on information from 31 642 location-years of vital registration and sample registration data, 355 surveys and censuses, and 24 other sources. Estimates of child and adult mortality rates were then used to generate life tables with a relational model life table system. For countries with large HIV epidemics, life tables were adjusted using independent estimates of HIV-specific mortality generated via an epidemiological analysis of HIV prevalence surveys, antenatal clinic serosurveillance, and other data sources. Excess mortality due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 was determined by subtracting observed all-cause mortality (adjusted for late registration and mortality anomalies) from the mortality expected in the absence of the pandemic. Expected mortality was calculated based on historical trends using an ensemble of models. In location-years where all-cause mortality data were unavailable, we estimated excess mortality rates using a regression model with covariates pertaining to the pandemic. Population size was computed using a Bayesian hierarchical cohort component model. Life expectancy was calculated using age-specific mortality rates and standard demographic methods. Uncertainty intervals (UIs) were calculated for every metric using the 25th and 975th ordered values from a 1000-draw posterior distribution. Findings: Global all-cause mortality followed two distinct patterns over the study period: age-standardised mortality rates declined between 1950 and 2019 (a 62·8% [95% UI 60·5–65·1] decline), and increased during the COVID-19 pandemic period (2020–21; 5·1% [0·9–9·6] increase). In contrast with the overall reverse in mortality trends during the pandemic period, child mortality continued to decline, with 4·66 million (3·98–5·50) global deaths in children younger than 5 years in 2021 compared with 5·21 million (4·50–6·01) in 2019. An estimated 131 million (126–137) people died globally from all causes in 2020 and 2021 combined, of which 15·9 million (14·7–17·2) were due to the COVID-19 pandemic (measured by excess mortality, which includes deaths directly due to SARS-CoV-2 infection and those indirectly due to other social, economic, or behavioural changes associated with the pandemic). Excess mortality rates exceeded 150 deaths per 100 000 population during at least one year of the pandemic in 80 countries and territories, whereas 20 nations had a negative excess mortality rate in 2020 or 2021, indicating that all-cause mortality in these countries was lower during the pandemic than expected based on historical trends. Between 1950 and 2021, global life expectancy at birth increased by 22·7 years (20·8–24·8), from 49·0 years (46·7–51·3) to 71·7 years (70·9–72·5). Global life expectancy at birth declined by 1·6 years (1·0–2·2) between 2019 and 2021, reversing historical trends. An increase in life expectancy was only observed in 32 (15·7%) of 204 countries and territories between 2019 and 2021. The global population reached 7·89 billion (7·67–8·13) people in 2021, by which time 56 of 204 countries and territories had peaked and subsequently populations have declined. The largest proportion of population growth between 2020 and 2021 was in sub-Saharan Africa (39·5% [28·4–52·7]) and south Asia (26·3% [9·0–44·7]). From 2000 to 2021, the ratio of the population aged 65 years and older to the population aged younger than 15 years increased in 188 (92·2%) of 204 nations. Interpretation: Global adult mortality rates markedly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, reversing past decreasing trends, while child mortality rates continued to decline, albeit more slowly than in earlier years. Although COVID-19 had a substantial impact on many demographic indicators during the first 2 years of the pandemic, overall global health progress over the 72 years evaluated has been profound, with considerable improvements in mortality and life expectancy. Additionally, we observed a deceleration of global population growth since 2017, despite steady or increasing growth in lower-income countries, combined with a continued global shift of population age structures towards older ages. These demographic changes will likely present future challenges to health systems, economies, and societies. The comprehensive demographic estimates reported here will enable researchers, policy makers, health practitioners, and other key stakeholders to better understand and address the profound changes that have occurred in the global health landscape following the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic, and longer-term trends beyond the pandemic

Global burden and strength of evidence for 88 risk factors in 204 countries and 811 subnational locations, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Background: Understanding the health consequences associated with exposure to risk factors is necessary to inform public health policy and practice. To systematically quantify the contributions of risk factor exposures to specific health outcomes, the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 aims to provide comprehensive estimates of exposure levels, relative health risks, and attributable burden of disease for 88 risk factors in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, from 1990 to 2021. Methods: The GBD 2021 risk factor analysis used data from 54 561 total distinct sources to produce epidemiological estimates for 88 risk factors and their associated health outcomes for a total of 631 risk–outcome pairs. Pairs were included on the basis of data-driven determination of a risk–outcome association. Age-sex-location-year-specific estimates were generated at global, regional, and national levels. Our approach followed the comparative risk assessment framework predicated on a causal web of hierarchically organised, potentially combinative, modifiable risks. Relative risks (RRs) of a given outcome occurring as a function of risk factor exposure were estimated separately for each risk–outcome pair, and summary exposure values (SEVs), representing risk-weighted exposure prevalence, and theoretical minimum risk exposure levels (TMRELs) were estimated for each risk factor. These estimates were used to calculate the population attributable fraction (PAF; ie, the proportional change in health risk that would occur if exposure to a risk factor were reduced to the TMREL). The product of PAFs and disease burden associated with a given outcome, measured in disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), yielded measures of attributable burden (ie, the proportion of total disease burden attributable to a particular risk factor or combination of risk factors). Adjustments for mediation were applied to account for relationships involving risk factors that act indirectly on outcomes via intermediate risks. Attributable burden estimates were stratified by Socio-demographic Index (SDI) quintile and presented as counts, age-standardised rates, and rankings. To complement estimates of RR and attributable burden, newly developed burden of proof risk function (BPRF) methods were applied to yield supplementary, conservative interpretations of risk–outcome associations based on the consistency of underlying evidence, accounting for unexplained heterogeneity between input data from different studies. Estimates reported represent the mean value across 500 draws from the estimate's distribution, with 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs) calculated as the 2·5th and 97·5th percentile values across the draws. Findings: Among the specific risk factors analysed for this study, particulate matter air pollution was the leading contributor to the global disease burden in 2021, contributing 8·0% (95% UI 6·7–9·4) of total DALYs, followed by high systolic blood pressure (SBP; 7·8% [6·4–9·2]), smoking (5·7% [4·7–6·8]), low birthweight and short gestation (5·6% [4·8–6·3]), and high fasting plasma glucose (FPG; 5·4% [4·8–6·0]). For younger demographics (ie, those aged 0–4 years and 5–14 years), risks such as low birthweight and short gestation and unsafe water, sanitation, and handwashing (WaSH) were among the leading risk factors, while for older age groups, metabolic risks such as high SBP, high body-mass index (BMI), high FPG, and high LDL cholesterol had a greater impact. From 2000 to 2021, there was an observable shift in global health challenges, marked by a decline in the number of all-age DALYs broadly attributable to behavioural risks (decrease of 20·7% [13·9–27·7]) and environmental and occupational risks (decrease of 22·0% [15·5–28·8]), coupled with a 49·4% (42·3–56·9) increase in DALYs attributable to metabolic risks, all reflecting ageing populations and changing lifestyles on a global scale. Age-standardised global DALY rates attributable to high BMI and high FPG rose considerably (15·7% [9·9–21·7] for high BMI and 7·9% [3·3–12·9] for high FPG) over this period, with exposure to these risks increasing annually at rates of 1·8% (1·6–1·9) for high BMI and 1·3% (1·1–1·5) for high FPG. By contrast, the global risk-attributable burden and exposure to many other risk factors declined, notably for risks such as child growth failure and unsafe water source, with age-standardised attributable DALYs decreasing by 71·5% (64·4–78·8) for child growth failure and 66·3% (60·2–72·0) for unsafe water source. We separated risk factors into three groups according to trajectory over time: those with a decreasing attributable burden, due largely to declining risk exposure (eg, diet high in trans-fat and household air pollution) but also to proportionally smaller child and youth populations (eg, child and maternal malnutrition); those for which the burden increased moderately in spite of declining risk exposure, due largely to population ageing (eg, smoking); and those for which the burden increased considerably due to both increasing risk exposure and population ageing (eg, ambient particulate matter air pollution, high BMI, high FPG, and high SBP). Interpretation: Substantial progress has been made in reducing the global disease burden attributable to a range of risk factors, particularly those related to maternal and child health, WaSH, and household air pollution. Maintaining efforts to minimise the impact of these risk factors, especially in low SDI locations, is necessary to sustain progress. Successes in moderating the smoking-related burden by reducing risk exposure highlight the need to advance policies that reduce exposure to other leading risk factors such as ambient particulate matter air pollution and high SBP. Troubling increases in high FPG, high BMI, and other risk factors related to obesity and metabolic syndrome indicate an urgent need to identify and implement interventions

Changes in preterm birth and stillbirth during COVID-19 lockdowns in 26 countries.

Preterm birth (PTB) is the leading cause of infant mortality worldwide. Changes in PTB rates, ranging from -90% to +30%, were reported in many countries following early COVID-19 pandemic response measures ('lockdowns'). It is unclear whether this variation reflects real differences in lockdown impacts, or perhaps differences in stillbirth rates and/or study designs. Here we present interrupted time series and meta-analyses using harmonized data from 52 million births in 26 countries, 18 of which had representative population-based data, with overall PTB rates ranging from 6% to 12% and stillbirth ranging from 2.5 to 10.5 per 1,000 births. We show small reductions in PTB in the first (odds ratio 0.96, 95% confidence interval 0.95-0.98, P value <0.0001), second (0.96, 0.92-0.99, 0.03) and third (0.97, 0.94-1.00, 0.09) months of lockdown, but not in the fourth month of lockdown (0.99, 0.96-1.01, 0.34), although there were some between-country differences after the first month. For high-income countries in this study, we did not observe an association between lockdown and stillbirths in the second (1.00, 0.88-1.14, 0.98), third (0.99, 0.88-1.12, 0.89) and fourth (1.01, 0.87-1.18, 0.86) months of lockdown, although we have imprecise estimates due to stillbirths being a relatively rare event. We did, however, find evidence of increased risk of stillbirth in the first month of lockdown in high-income countries (1.14, 1.02-1.29, 0.02) and, in Brazil, we found evidence for an association between lockdown and stillbirth in the second (1.09, 1.03-1.15, 0.002), third (1.10, 1.03-1.17, 0.003) and fourth (1.12, 1.05-1.19, <0.001) months of lockdown. With an estimated 14.8 million PTB annually worldwide, the modest reductions observed during early pandemic lockdowns translate into large numbers of PTB averted globally and warrant further research into causal pathways

Clinical Profile and Short-Term Outcome of Malaria in Febrile Under-Five Children in a Secondary Health Facility

Background: Malaria remains an essential tropical protozoal disease, affecting both young and old. It manifests in complicated and uncomplicated forms with more grave consequences among Under-five children. Objective: To describe malaria's clinical profile and short-term outcomes in Under-five children in a secondary health facility in southwest Nigeria. Methods: This was a hospital-based and cross-sectional study. Five hundred children under the age of five years who presented with fever at the health facility were recruited into the study. The clinical manifestations were documented, and blood samples were examined for malaria parasitaemia. Results: Forty-eight children (9.6%) of the study subjects were neonates, 195 (39%) were infants, and the remaining 257 (51.4%) were aged 12 months to 5 years. One hundred and two (39.1%) of the 261 children positive for malaria presented with uncomplicated malaria, while 159 (60.9%) of this population had various complications. The overall mortality from malaria was 5.0%. Conclusion: More than 60% of the infected children had complications of malaria, and mortality was mainly due to late presentation. Therefore, malaria preventive strategies should be part of ongoing health interventions