APOE E4 is associated with impaired self-declared cognition but not disease risk or age of onset in Nigerians with Parkinson's disease

The relationship between APOE polymorphisms and Parkinson's disease (PD) in black Africans has not been previously investigated. We evaluated the association between APOE polymorphic variability and self-declared cognition in 1100 Nigerians with PD and 1097 age-matched healthy controls. Cognition in PD was assessed using the single item cognition question (item 1.1) of the MDS-UPDRS. APOE genotype and allele frequencies did not differ between PD and controls (p > 0.05). No allelic or genotypic association was observed between APOE and age at onset of PD. In PD, APOE ε4/ε4 conferred a two-fold risk of cognitive impairment compared to one or no ε4 (HR: 2.09 (95% CI: 1.13-3.89; p = 0.02)), while APOE ε2 was associated with modest protection against cognitive impairment (HR: 0.41 (95% CI 0.19-0.99, p = 0.02)). Of 773 PD with motor phenotype and APOE characterized, tremor-dominant (TD) phenotype predominated significantly in ε2 carriers (87/135, 64.4%) compared to 22.2% in persons with postural instability/gait difficulty (PIGD) (30/135) and 13.3% in indeterminate (ID) (18/135, 13.3%) (p = 0.037). Although the frequency of the TD phenotype was highest in homozygous ε2 carriers (85.7%), the distribution of motor phenotypes across the six genotypes did not differ significantly (p = 0.18). Altogether, our findings support previous studies in other ethnicities, implying a role for APOE ε4 and ε2 as risk and protective factors, respectively, for cognitive impairment in PD

Prevalence of diabetes mellitus and its risk factors among the suburban population of Northwest Nigeria

>Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) was previously considered to be rare in sub-Saharan Africa. However, the prevalence is on the increase mainly because of urbanization and changes in lifestyle.Aim: The aim of our study was to determine the prevalence of DM and its correlates in the suburban population of Northwest Nigeria.Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional community-based study was carried out. Two hundred and eighty participants were recruited using a multistage sampling technique. Interviewer-administered questionnaire was utilized in obtaining demographic data from the participants. Anthropometric variables, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), and blood pressure measured using standard guidelines. The diagnosis of DM was based on the WHO guidelines.Results: The mean age was 42.3 ± 10.7 years. The overall prevalence of DM was 4.3% (males 4.5% and females 4.0%). The mean FPG was higher in the females (5.9 ± 1.2 mmol/L) than males (5.8 ± 2.5 mmol/L) though the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.81). Obesity and increasing age were the major risk factors for DM among the suburban population.Conclusion: DM is common in suburban areas of Northwest Nigeria. We recommend increased awareness of the epidemic potential of this public health problem even in suburban areas