Glaucoma awareness among ophthalmic patients at Menelik II Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Background: Glaucoma is one of the main causes of blindness worldwide that has been considered as a major public health issue. Raising awareness about glaucoma among the general public, ophthalmic patients and health professionals would be key instrument for early case identification and prevention of blindness.Objective: To determine the level of awareness and knowledge about glaucoma among patients coming for eye care service at Menelik II Hospital.Methods: A hospital based cross- sectional study was conducted among a total of 422 new ophthalmic patients attending eye department at Menelik II Hospital during April 20 to August 20, 2010. Data on demographics, awareness and knowledge of glaucoma were collected through face to face interview using a pretested structured questionnaire.Results: Among the interviewed 28.4% were found to be aware of glaucoma and 75.8% of them had some knowledge of glaucoma as well. The association between awareness of glaucoma and better educational level was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The main sources of information for glaucoma were television, posters, radio and relatives and other people living with glaucoma.Conclusion: The study has indicated the level of glaucoma awareness and knowledge among ophthalmic patients at tertiary center. It has also identified higher level of education to be associated with better level of awareness and mass media to be the main source of information about glaucoma.Recommendation: The present level of glaucoma awareness and knowledge should be enhanced through provision of health education and by incorporating glaucoma education into the curriculum of high school and health care providers

The impact of adherence and instillation proficiency of topical glaucoma medications on intraocular pressure

Background: The possible sequel of poorly controlled intraocular pressure (IOP) includes treatment failure, unnecessary medication use, and economic burden on patients with glaucoma.Objective: To assess the impact of adherence and instillation technique on IOP control.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 359 glaucoma patients in Menelik II Hospital from June 1 to July 31, 2015. After conducting a Q-Q analysis, multiple binary logistic analyses, linear regression analyses, and two-tailed paired t-test were conducted to compare IOP in the baseline versus current measurements.Results: Intraocular pressure was controlled in 59.6% of the patients and was relatively well controlled during the study period (mean (M) = 17.911 mmHg, standard deviation (S) = 0.323) compared to the baseline (M = 20.866 mmHg, S = 0.383, t (358) = -6.70, p p = 0.03). Moreover, primary angle-closure glaucoma (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 0.347, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.144-0.836) and two medications (AOR = 1.869, 95% CI: 1.259-9.379) were factors affecting IOP.Conclusion: Good instillation technique of the medications was correlated with a reduction in IOP. Consequently, regular assessment of the instillation technique and IOP should be done for better management of the disease

Adapted motivational interviewing to improve the uptake of treatment for glaucoma in Nigeria: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Glaucoma is a chronic eye disease associated with irreversible visual loss. In Africa, glaucoma patients often present late, with very advanced disease. One-off procedures, such as laser or surgery, are recommended in Africa because of lack of or poor adherence to medical treatment. However, acceptance of surgery is usually extremely low. To prevent blindness, adherence to treatment needs to improve, using acceptable, replicable and cost-effective interventions. After reviewing the literature and interviewing patients in Bauchi (Nigeria) motivational interviewing (MI) was selected as the intervention for this trial, with adaptation for glaucoma (MIG). MI is designed to strengthen personal motivation for, and commitment to a specific goal by eliciting and exploring a person's reasons for change within an atmosphere of acceptance and compassion. The aim of this study is to assess whether MIG increases the uptake of laser or surgery amongst glaucoma patients where this is the recommended treatment. The hypothesis is that MIG increases the uptake of treatment. This will be the first trial of MI in Africa. METHODS: This is a hospital based, single centre, randomized controlled trial of MIG plus an information sheet on glaucoma and its treatment (the latter being "standard care") compared with standard care alone for glaucoma patients where the treatment recommended is surgery or laser.Those eligible for the trial are adults aged 17 years and above who live within 200 km of Bauchi with advanced glaucoma where the examining ophthalmologist recommends surgery or laser. After obtaining written informed consent, participants will be randomly allocated to MIG plus standard care, or standard care alone. Motivational interviewing will be delivered in Hausa or English by one of two MIG trained personnel. One hundred and fifty participants will be recruited to each arm. The primary outcome is the proportion of participants undergoing laser or surgery within two months of the date given to re attend for the procedure. MIG quality will be assessed using the validated MI treatment integrity scale. DISCUSSION: Motivational interviewing may be an important tool to increase the acceptance of treatment for glaucoma. The approach is potentially scalable and may be useful for other chronic conditions in Africa. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN79330571 (Controlled-Trials.com)

De novo variants in neurodevelopmental disorders with epilepsy

Epilepsy is a frequent feature of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), but little is known about genetic differences between NDDs with and without epilepsy. We analyzed de novo variants (DNVs) in 6,753 parent-offspring trios ascertained to have different NDDs. In the subset of 1,942 individuals with NDDs with epilepsy, we identified 33 genes with a significant excess of DNVs, of which SNAP25 and GABRB2 had previously only limited evidence of disease association. Joint analysis of all individuals with NDDs also implicated CACNA1E as a novel disease-associated gene. Comparing NDDs with and without epilepsy, we found missense DNVs, DNVs in specific genes, age of recruitment, and severity of intellectual disability to be associated with epilepsy. We further demonstrate the extent to which our results affect current genetic testing as well as treatment, emphasizing the benefit of accurate genetic diagnosis in NDDs with epilepsy