GM ASHIR, AI RABASA, MG MUSTAPHA, F BASHIR, AB IBRAHIM

Correspondence to: DR GARBA MOHAMMED ASHIR Department of Paediatrics, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, P M B 1414, Maiduguri, Nigeria E-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Background: Health education intervention is a combination of activities aimed at facilitating positive changes in behaviour and practices that may decrease risk of disease and thus reduce mortality and morbidity. Methods: In this study we have assessed the short term effectiveness of health education (clinical presentation) on the prescription of co-trimoxazole (CTX) as prophylaxis for Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) in a cohort of HIVinfected children at the University of Maiduguri teaching hospital (UMTH). Results: The study showed a significant improvement in correct prescription of CTX for PCP prophylaxis after health education intervention. Conclusion: We concluded that health education intervention within a unit is appropriate, achievable and worthwhile..

IBRAHIM SA* UGWA EA* AGU, OC** ONUORAH, CC***
Correspondence to: DR SA IBRAHIM, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Background: Vaginal discharge is a common complain in gynaecological and general practice. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of vulvovaginal candidiasis and how age, marital status and stages of reproduction affect this disease. Methods: High vaginal swab samples were collected from 859 women who presented with vaginal discharge at the gynaecological clinic. The data obtained was analysed using SPSS 14.0 statistical software. Absolute numbers and simple percentages were used to describe categorical variables. Similarly, quantitative variables were described using measures of central tendency and measures of dispersion as appropriate. Results: The prevalence of vaginal discharge in this review was 7%. Candida albicans infection constituted 84.5 % of cases presenting with vaginal discharge. Vulvovaginal candidiasis was commoner among those 15-45 years (96.2%), than those <15 years (3.2%) and >45 years (0.6%). Moreover, the unmarried bear a greater burden of the infection (52%) than the married (48%) and this difference was statistically significant (p═0.001). Conclusion: Candida albicans infection is the commonest cause of pathologic vaginal discharge in Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano, Nigeria and it is commoner in the unmarried and in those within the reproductive age group.

I UMMATE, BM MUBI, I GEZAWA

Correspondence to: DR IBRAHIM UMMATE Department of Medicine, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, PMB 1414, Maiduguri E-mail; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of hyponatraemia in patients with End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) in our centre. Methods: One hundred patients with CKD comprising 68 males and 32 females were enrolled into the study. Patients' demographic data were compared with controls. Serum samples were taken for electrolytes, urea and creatinine, calcium, phosphate, total protein albumin and virology. Ultrasonography was also done on all the patients. Results; 100 patients aged between 15 and 74yrs (mean±SD of 35.29±14.17) and 57 controls aged 15 to 75yrs (mean±SD of 39.9±13.58) were studied. There was no significant difference in the ages of the patients and controls (p=0.79). The cases comprised 68 males and 32 females. Mean±SD age of males was 41±13.27yrs and that of the females was 36.06±13.64yrs. Two (2%) of the study population had severe hyponatraemia with serum Na less than 120mmol/l, while 47 (47%) had mild to moderate hyponatraemia with serum Na between 120-134mmol/l; in contrast to 49 (49%) who had normal serum Na between 135-145mm0l/l, and 2 (2%) who had hypernatraema with serum Na greater than 145mmol/l. There is no age or sex predilection in the distribution of hyponatraemia in the study group (p=0.854 and p=0.436, respectively). We conclude that there is no statistical difference in the serum Na concentration among patients with CKD regardless of the aetiology and degree of renal dysfunction (p=0.076 and p=0.722). Hyponatremia is common among ESRD patients undergoing haemodialysis and this problem should always be looked for because majority of patients with this condition are asymptomatic.

WAKIL MA* SALAWU FK** ABDULMALIK JO*** AHIDJO A**** BEIDA O*****

Correspondence to: DR. MUSA ABBA WAKIL Department of Mental Health, College of Medical Sciences, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria. e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Background: A significant proportion of patients presenting to general practitioners and non-psychiatric specialists have been shown to suffer from underlying or co-morbid psychiatric conditions. The detection rate and appropriate treatment or referral of such psychiatric conditions varies widely depending on the attitude, expertise and level of familiarity of the physician with psychiatry. A negative attitude towards psychiatry often precludes efforts to understand and manage such disorders thus worsening the hidden burden of mental illness. Objectives: To evaluate the attitudes of postgraduate resident doctors toward psychiatry. Method: A cross-sectional survey on a convenience sample of 100 postgraduate resident doctors from the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital was conducted using a modified version of the self-rated Kumar 12-item questionnaire and a brief socio-demographic questionnaire. Results: The subjects comprised of 74.3% males and 25.7% females, with age ranges of 25-45 years and mean of 32.6+ 4.1. The majority (95.7%) opined that psychiatry was a valid and important specialty, while 80% of the respondents had encountered psychiatric cases in their respective specialties. Furthermore, 91.8% of the respondents appreciated that psychosocial factors may influence the presentation, course and outcome of physical illnesses. Conclusion: Postgraduate resident doctors in Maiduguri displayed a high level of awareness about psychiatry and its relevance. This positive approach needs to be built upon via the strengthening of reciprocal consultation-liaison services, in order to enhance holistic care for patients.

GB Gadzama, B H Askira, B Z Ali

Correspondence to: Dr B H Askira, Department of Ophthalmology, UMTH, PMB 1414, Maiduguri. E-Mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Background: Bacterial conjunctivitis is a common condition encountered in practice Objective: To ascertain the commonest cause of Bacterial conjunctivitis in this environment and its sensitivity pattern.
Design: This was cross sectional hospital- based study, carried out from January to December 2006 on all patients that attended the ophthalmology clinic with purulent conjunctivitis. The affected eyes were swabbed for the microscopy culture and sensitivity after obtaining their consent. Results: There were 129 specimens sent for microscopy, culture and sensitivity. , 82(63.6%) yielded no bacterial growth while 47(36.4%) yielded significant growth. The most frequent Bacteria isolated were Staphylococcus aureus (46.9%) and Klebsiella spp (17.0%). Other bacteria seen include E coli (6.4%), Haemophilus influenzae (8.5%), Neisseria gonorrhoeae (10.6%) and Proteus spp (10.6%). The antimicrobial agent that showed the highest sensitivity among all the isolates was ciprofloxacin while chloramphenicol showed the least sensitivity. Conclusion: Staphylococcus aureus was found to be the commonest cause of bacterial conjunctivitis and ciprofloxacin the most sensitive antimicrobial agent to all bacterial isolates.

MUHAMMAD Z, IBRAHIM SA
Correspondence to: Dr S A Ibrahim, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano. PMB 3452, Kano Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Background: Cervical incompetence continues to pose a challenge to the obstetrican as a cause of repeated midtrimester abortion.Several observational studies into the efficacy of cervical Cerclage have claimed high rates of successful pregnancy outcome in women with poor obstetric history attributed to cervical incompetence. Objectives: The objectives of the study are to determine the prevalence of cervical incompetence in Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), the complications of the treatment modalities, and the pregnancy outcome. Study design, setting and subject: This is a 4 years retrospective review of 144 pregnancies in (135) patients with cervical incompetence in the Jos University Teaching Hospital. Patients diagnosed to have cervical incompetence and who had cervical Cerclage, antenatal care and delivery in the Jos University Teaching Hospital, Jos, formed the study population. Main outcome measures: Prevalence, post insertion complications and Pregnancy outcome, among patients with cervical incompetence who had cervical cerclage in Jos University Teaching Hospital, Jos Plateau state. Results: A total of one hundred and fourty four pregnancies were reviewed retrospectively in one hundred and thirty five patients with cervical incompetence over a four-year period. The diagnosis of cervical incompetence was established by history 63% of pregnancies, and by ultra-sonography in 35% of pregnancies. The McDonald technique of repair was employed in 90% of the cases. The incidence of cervical incompetence over the period of review was 1 in every 69 deliveries. The most common post insertion complications were premature rupture of membranes (20.8%) Vulvovaginitis (16%) and urinary tract infection (10.5%). The term births accounted for 62.5% and preterm births for 22.9%, with overall fetal salvage of 85.4%.

BABADOKO AA, AMINU SM, SULEIMAN AM

Correspondence to: BABADOKO, A. A., Department of Haematology and Blood Transfusion, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, Nigeria. E mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Background: Thrombocytopaenia is relatively common during the course of HIV infection and it may serve as the first evidence of infection. It has been associated with clinical or immunological severity of the disease. Multiple interacting factors may contribute to this haematological manifestation of HIV infection. Aim: To determine the prevalence of thrombocytopaenia and its relationship to CD4+ T lymphocyte count in antiretroviral naïve HIV-1
infected patients. Methodology: Four hundred consecutive HIV-1 infected patients undergoing pre treatment investigations for staging were recruited over a one year period, at the HIV subspecialty clinic of Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria. All the patients were confirmed HIV-1 infected, repeatedly reactive by ELISA. Platelet count was determined by standard manual method and CD4+ T cell enumeration by Dynal® (Oslo Norway) manual method. Results: Of the 400 patients studied, the prevalence of thrombocytopaenia was 6.25% with a male to female ratio of 1:1.7. There is a significant positive correlation between platelet count and CD4 + T lymphocyte count r 0.086, P 0.043 (p < 0.05), however this association is weak by clinical/immunological staging. Conclusion: Thrombocytopaenia is not an uncommon finding in HIV infected patients in our setting and often occurs in the severely immunocompromised individual. Platelet count cannot be used as a substitute to determine the severity of immunosuppression.

MB KAWUWA, A A KULLIMA, B M AUDU, A G MAIRIGA, HA USMAN, BG BAKO
Correspondence to: DR A A KULLIMA Department of obstetrics and Gynaecology, Federal Medical Centre Nguru PMB 02 Nguru. Yobe state E mail : This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Background: Dysmenorrhoea is the most common gynaecologic complaint among adolescents and young females. It is often regarded by many as normal, seeking medical attention only when it is unbearable. Objective: To determine the prevalence, risk factors and effects of dysmenorrhoea among women in Maiduguri. Methods: This is a cross sectional descriptive study among female students in six tertiary institutions in Maiduguri, Borno state. Three hundred structured questionnaires were administered to ascertain the epidemiology, associated risk factors and possible effect of dysmenorrhoea. Results: About 63% currently had pain during menses and 69.7% had experienced primary dysmenorrhoea in the past. One third each of such pain were moderate (35%) to require medication and severe (31.7%) as to restrict routine activities, in 8.3% the menstrual pain was so severe to warrant admission in the hospital. There was significant association between current dysmenorrhoea and previous primary dysmenorrhoea, positive family history of dysmenorrhoea, past history of D& C and other gynaecological problems, while smoking was not shown to have any statistically significant relationship. There was an inverse relationship between previous pregnancies and current episode of dysmenorrhoea Conclusion: Dysmenorrhoea is prevalent among women, yet many do not seek medical attention unless it became unbearable..