African health sciences
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African health sciences · Dec 2023
High resolution chest computed tomography findings in patients with clinically suspected COVID-19 pneumonia in Uganda: a cross-sectional study.
The alarming spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a shortage of RT-PCR kits in Uganda necessitating the use of high-resolution chest Computed Tomography to guide patient management and treatment. ⋯ HRCT was found superior to RT-PCR in diagnosing COVID-19. A patient with positive HRCT findings should be treated as COVID 19 when RT-PCR is inaccessible or results are negative. A patient with negative HRCT requires complimentary RT-PCR and possibly follow up CT scans if symptoms persist before treating for COVID 19.
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African health sciences · Dec 2023
Assessment of malnutrition in patients undergoing chemotherapy at the National Oncology Centre of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana.
Globally, cancer is on the rise despite several interventions. The link between nutrition and cancer has long been established with the consequences of poor nutrition on cancer pathway being dire. Early nutrition intervention is recommended for all cancer patients. ⋯ The PGSGA tool identified that more than half of the patients were severely malnourished hence the need for early nutrition intervention in cancer patients.
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African health sciences · Dec 2023
Hypertension: risk perception and health seeking behaviour of long-distance drivers in Port Harcourt.
Driving as an occupation is associated with the occurrence of heart-related diseases such as hypertension. ⋯ This study showed that a greater number of the drivers had a low perception of modifiable risk factors of hypertension. Regular health checks were also not observed among participants. There is need for targeted health education for this group.
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African health sciences · Dec 2023
Performance of two SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen detection tests in resource limited settings, the case of Mali.
While real-time reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) is the recommended laboratory method to diagnose severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, its use in resource limited settings can be difficult to maintain due to high testing demand and shortage of reagents. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performances of Realy Tech™ and Standard Q™ in comparison to RT-PCR in a relatively low COVID-19 prevalence setting, Mali. ⋯ While waiting for more complete data, these preliminary studies suggest that Realy Tech™ and Standard Q™ should not be used alone for COVID-19 diagnosis in Mali.
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African health sciences · Dec 2023
Clinical characteristics and variables associated with COVID-19 morbidity and mortality in Luanda, Angola, in the first year of the pandemic.
The impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection in Africa is still unclear. In comparison to Europe and North America, morbidity and death rates are lower. Several factors have been proposed, including geographical variation in virus impact, environmental factors, differences in age distribution, and the impact of infectious diseases such as malaria, HIV infection and tuberculosis. ⋯ We identified putative factors related to SARS-CoV-2 infection and mortality. HIV and TB were protective and not associated with mortality. Further study with a broader scope should be conducted to explain the main features related to COVID-19 mortality in Angola.