Angiodysplasia of the colon: A report of two cases and review of literature

Angiodysplasias of the colon are enlarged and fragile blood vessels in the colon result in occasional loss of blood from the lower gastrointestinal tract. It may be observed incidentally at colonoscopy or patients may present with lower gastrointestinal bleeding. The objective of this case report is to highlight two cases of colonic vascular ectasia seen using a Pentax video colonoscope at the Endoscopy unit of Crescent hospital, Ilorin. The first patient is an 85-year-old man, who presented with constipation, left-sided abdominal pain, and weight loss of two weeks duration. There was no anorexia, abdominal swelling, diarrhea, or hematochezia. Abdomino-pelvic ultrasonography showed normal findings. Colonoscopy done, reaching the ileo-cecal valve and caecum, showed an area of dilated tortuous blood vessel (vascular ectasia) in the wall of the descending colon approximately 45 cm from the anal verge, with no features of bleeding. No ulcers or mass lesion was seen. Colonoscopy showed angiodysplasia of the colon. The second patient is a 30-year-old female trader who presented with two days history of massive hematochezia of about 7 episodes prior to presentation with an estimated blood loss per episode of about 300 ml. There were clinical features of shock. Packed cell volume at presentation was 14%. She was transfused with 4 units of fresh whole blood. Post stabilization, colonoscopy was done 5 days after bleeding had stopped, which revealed an area of erosion with mucosal blood clot about 27 cm from the anal verge. An area of angiodysplasia was seen. No hemorrhoids or mass lesion was seen anywhere in the colon. Angiodysplasia is an uncommon finding in Ilorin. These are the first reported cases of angiodysplasia of the colon from Ilorin, Nigeria.Keywords: Angiodysplasia, bleeding, colon, colonoscopyNigerian Journal of Clinical Practice • Jan-Mar 2012 • Vol 15 • Issue

Helicabacter Pylori Infection in Nigerians with Dyspepsia

Background: Helicobacter pylori is the most common chronic bacterial infection, and a significant aetiological factor in acid peptic diseases and gastric cancer. Dyspepsia is a common gastrointestinal disorder, and the most common indication for gastroscopy. Detection of this organism during endoscopy has become standard clinical practice. We determine the prevalence of H. pylori infection among dyspeptic patients using serology and histology.Methods: Patients with dyspepsia underwent gastroscopy, and biopsies were taken from the antral portions of their stomach and processed. Their serum samples were tested for H. pylori infection using ELISA to detect anti-bodies.Results: One hundred and twenty-five patients, comprising 49 (39.2%) males and 76 (60.8%) females were studied. A prevalence rate of 93.6% for H. pylori was found by serology while a rate of 80.0% was found by histology.Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of H. pylori infection in patients with dyspepsia; and a high percentage of detection by serological and  histological tests.Keywords: Helicobacter pylori, dyspepsia, serology, histology, Nigerian

Smokeless tobacco use in adult Nigerian population

The study aim was to establish the prevalence and determinants of smokeless tobacco use in Nigerian adults' population.Across-sectional survey of 1776 adults inYola, North-East Nigeria was carried out in June 2007.A modified World Health Organization (WHO) tobacco survey questionnaire was used for interview and datacollection. Out of 1776 interviewed respondents, 133 (7.49%) were user of smokeless tobacco. Snuffing of tobacco powder was the most common method of using smokeless tobacco (6.8%). Fifteen (0.9%) chewedtobacco while only 2(0.1%) both chewed and snuffed tobacco. Social acceptance (21.8%) was the major reason for using smokeless tobacco. Males, 5th and 6th decades of life, poor education, lower socioeconomic class, Margi, Hausa and Fulani tribes were the determinants of smokeless tobacco use.About 89.5% of the smokeless tobacco users believed that smokeless tobacco was not harmful to their health. : Although the prevalence of smokeless tobacco use was low among Nigerian adult population in this study. Ignorance of the potential health dangers of smokeless tobacco was rampant therefore; concerted efforts should be made to discourage the use of all forms of tobacco rather than concentrating on cigarette smoking

Diabetic foot care: Self reported knowledge and practice among patients attending three tertiary hospital in Nigeria

Background: Diabetes Mellitus (DM) foot complications are a leading cause of mortality in developing countries and the prevalence of diabetes is expected to increase in the next decades in these countries. Theaim of this study was to determine the knowledge and practice of foot care among diabetes patients attending three tertiary hospitals in Nigeria.Methods: This is a cross-sectional study carried out from November 2009 to April 2010. Pre-tested structured questionnaires were administered by medical officers to diabetes patients. The outcome variables were knowledge and practice regarding foot care. The knowledge and practice scores were classified as good if score .70%, satisfactory if score was 50-69% and poor if score was < 50%.Results: Of 352 diabetes patients, 30.1% had good knowledge and 10.2 % had good practice of DM foot care. Majority (78.4%) of patients with poor practice had poor knowledge of foot care. With regard toknowledge, 68.8% were unaware of the first thing to do when they found redness/bleeding between their toes and 61.4% were unaware of the importance of inspecting the inside of the footwear for objects. Poor footpractices include; 89.2% not receiving advice when they bought footwear and 88.6% failing to get appropriate size footwear. Illiteracy and low socioeconomic status were significantly associated with poor knowledge and practice of foot care.Conclusion: This study has highlighted the gaps in the knowledge and practice of foot care in DM patients and underscores the need for an educational programme to reduce of diabetic foot complication

A Fibreoptic Endoscopic Study of Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding at Bugando Medical Centre in Northwestern Tanzania: a Retrospective Review of 240 Cases.

Upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is recognized as a common and potentially life-threatening abdominal emergency that needs a prompt assessment and aggressive emergency treatment. A retrospective study was undertaken at Bugando Medical Centre in northwestern Tanzania between March 2010 and September 2011 to describe our own experiences with fibreoptic upper GI endoscopy in the management of patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding in our setting and compare our results with those from other centers in the world. A total of 240 patients representing 18.7% of all patients (i.e. 1292) who had fibreoptic upper GI endoscopy during the study period were studied. Males outnumbered female by a ratio of 2.1:1. Their median age was 37 years and most of patients (60.0%) were aged 40 years and below. The vast majority of the patients (80.4%) presented with haematemesis alone followed by malaena alone in 9.2% of cases. The use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, alcohol and smoking prior to the onset of bleeding was recorded in 7.9%, 51.7% and 38.3% of cases respectively. Previous history of peptic ulcer disease was reported in 22(9.2%) patients. Nine (3.8%) patients were HIV positive. The source of bleeding was accurately identified in 97.7% of patients. Diagnostic accuracy was greater within the first 24 h of the bleeding onset, and in the presence of haematemesis. Oesophageal varices were the most frequent cause of upper GI bleeding (51.3%) followed by peptic ulcers in 25.0% of cases. The majority of patients (60.8%) were treated conservatively. Endoscopic and surgical treatments were performed in 30.8% and 5.8% of cases respectively. 140 (58.3%) patients received blood transfusion. The median length of hospitalization was 8 days and it was significantly longer in patients who underwent surgical treatment and those with higher Rockall scores (P < 0.001). Rebleeding was reported in 3.3% of the patients. The overall mortality rate of 11.7% was significantly higher in patients with variceal bleeding, shock, hepatic decompensation, HIV infection, comorbidities, malignancy, age > 60 years and in patients with higher Rockall scores and those who underwent surgery (P < 0.001). Oesophageal varices are the commonest cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding in our environment and it is associated with high morbidity and mortality. The diagnostic accuracy of fibreoptic endoscopy was related to the time interval between the onset of bleeding and endoscopy. Therefore, it is recommended that early endoscopy should be performed within 24 h of the onset of bleeding

Non-Motor Symptoms of Parkinson's Disease: Diagnosis and Management

Non-motor symptoms (NMS) of Parkinson's disease (PD) are a key determinant of health, quality of life (QoL) and societal cost of PD. They are often less appreciated than motor symptoms but are importantsources of disability for manyPDpatients. Literature search was performed using the reference databases Medline, Science Citation Index andEMBASE. The keywords used were 'non-motor symptoms', Parkinson's disease, olfaction and constipation. Papers discovered by this search werereviewed, as were references cited therein. Contrary to common perception, many NMS of PD occur early in PD and some may even predate thediagnosis of PD that is based on motor signs. These include olfactory deficit, sleep problems such as rapid eye movement behaviour disorder, constipation and the more recently described male erectile dysfunction.There is compelling evidence that nonmotor symptoms of PD play a dominant role in the QoL and disability of PD patients and the QoLof their 'informal' carers. Effective clinical management of PD thereforedemands that these symptoms be identified and to the extent possible treated.Keywords: Non motor symptoms, Parkinson's disease, Non motor questionnaire, Constipation, Olfaction, male erectile dysfunctio

Alzheimer's disease: A review of recent developments

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia in aging adults, and a substantial burden to patients, caregivers, and the healthcare system. It is an increasingly significant public health issue; with the number of people living with AD projected to increase dramatically over the next few decades, making the search for treatments and tools to measure disease progression increasingly urgent. This review is based on a search of Medline, the Cochrane Database of Systemic Reviews, and citation lists of relevant publications. The subject headings and keywords used were Alzheimer's disease, dementia, primary neuronal degeneration and senile plagues. Only the articles written in English were included. The diagnosis is still primarily made based on history and physical and neurologic examinations. Approved treatments are few and of limited efficacy, serving mostly to slow or delay progression and not to cure the disease, despite significant research by pharmaceutical industries. Cholinesterase inhibitors offer some help in treating cognitive and global functioning, as well as behavioral abnormalities in patients with mild-, moderate-, or severe-stage disease. The N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) antagonist, memantine, is similarly effective alone or in combination with cholinesterase inhibitors in moderate to severe stages of the disease. Recent insights into the pathophysiology of AD have led to promising investigational therapies, including the development of &gamma;- and &beta;-secretase inhibitors as well as active and passive immunization against the amyloid &beta;-protein.DOI: 10.4103/1596-3519.8205