African health sciences
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African health sciences · Mar 2023
Health-related quality of life in patients with low back pain in a low resource setting: a cross-sectional study at a tertiary hospital in Uganda.
Low back pain is the leading global cause of years lost to disability. The study aimed to assess the health-related quality of life in patients with low back pain attending an outpatient clinic at a national referral hospital in Uganda. ⋯ Patients with low back pain had a poor quality of life that was significantly influenced by being unemployed, doing manual work and clinical features of nerve compression.
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African health sciences · Mar 2023
Nutritional knowledge, dietary habits and nutritional status of adults living in urban Communities in Lagos State.
Malnutrition is a major threat to the world's public health. While under-nutrition and micronutrient deficiencies persist, obesity is increasing worldwide. Although malnutrition has been extensively researched among children, it has become of increasing concern among adults because of the relative increase in the prevalence of diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs). ⋯ Nutritional knowledge was poor and obesity was relatively high among participants. Improved nutrition education intervention is necessary to increase knowledge and reduce obesity among adults living in urban communities in Lagos, Nigeria.
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African health sciences · Mar 2023
The role of clinical and sonographic assessments in pre-operative evaluation of patients with splenic injuries in a resource-limited economy.
Splenic trauma has been recognized as the most common cause of preventable deaths amongst trauma patients. Due to paucity of modern diagnostic imaging facilities in our setting, determination of the error rates and role of the simple, available diagnostic approaches are worthwhile and relevant to the practice of general surgery. ⋯ Majority of splenic injuries were due to blunt abdominal trauma. The two diagnostic methods showed high sensitivity, but performed poorly for other validity tests.
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African health sciences · Mar 2023
A survey of chloroquine use for prevention and treatment of COVID-19 in Nigeria.
Rampant chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine poisoning in Nigerian hospitals following suggestions of its possible efficacy in the treatment and prevention of the newly emerged COVID-19 disease informed this survey. ⋯ Young adults, North-western geopolitical zone, and female gender should be target groups for education on rational chloroquine use. The danger of chloroquine overdose should be communicated to the general population in Nigeria.
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African health sciences · Mar 2023
Lifestyle, vulnerability to stress and prevailing health conditions of ambulatory older patients in a care facility.
Lifestyle and vulnerability to stress are major determinants of age-related health outcomes. ⋯ Periodic exercise, alcohol use, and smoking were reported at varying degrees. High prevalence of vulnerability to stress and use of anti-hypertensives were also observed, and vulnerability to stress was associated with selected socio-demographics. These findings reinforce the need for routine education of this category of populace on healthy lifestyle for improved health.