Ethiopian medical journal
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Ethiopian medical journal · Jan 2012
Degree of bacterial contamination and antibiotic susceptibility pattern of isolates from housekeeping surfaces in operating rooms and surgical wards at Jimma University Specialized Hospital, south west Ethiopia.
The role of the hospital environment as a reservoir of potential pathogens has received increasing attention. There are several reports demonstrating contamination of a wide variety of environmental sites in operating rooms (ORs) and surgical wards (SWs) which lead to nosocomial spread. ⋯ An increased bacterial contamination was measured in both ORs and SWs of the JUSH and the isolated bacteria were also resistant for most of the antibiotics used as a treatment options in the study area. Therefore, appropriate infection control measures needs to be taken to keep the contamination level within the proposed standard.
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Disc degeneration is common, the pattern and prevalence of various signs of disc degeneration is unclear. Neither hospital nor population-based data or study is available on lumbar disc diseases in Ethiopia. The sequelae of disk degeneration are among the leading causes of functional incapacity in both sexes and are a common source of chronic disability in the working years. Lumbar disc disease refers to a collection of degenerative disorders that can lead to low back pain as people age. ⋯ The study reviews 364 patients with lumbar disc diseases at the neurosurgical referral clinic, TASH over the one-year period (2009), their age ranged from 20 to 82 years (median, 44.0). Pain, numbness and neurologic claudication were the three most common presenting symptoms, occurring in 337(92.5%), 232 (63.7.6%) and 111 (30.5%) respectively. Lumbar MRI was the statistically significant investigation modality of choice (p < 0.0001). Two hundred thirty-five (70.1%) patients had disc prolaps (P < 0.0001), 18.5% had disc bulge. Lumbar degenerative disc disease was most frequently seen at L4-L5 level in 309 (54.5%) patients (P < 0.0001). both L4-L5 and L5-S1 accounted for 79.1% of the disc displacements. On MRI, disc displacements, were central in 61.2%, lateral in 9.3% and posterolateral in 15.8%.
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Ethiopian medical journal · Oct 2011
The prevalence, clinical features and management of periphral neuropathy among diabetic patients in Tikur Anbessa and St. Paul's Specialized University Hospitals, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Neuropathy is one of the common chronic complications of diabetes. There are many forms of diabetic neuropathy, one of which is distal symmetric polyneuropathy (DSP). There are only few data on diabetic neuropathy in Ethiopia. ⋯ Distal symmetrical polyneuropathy is common. The commonest presenting features are pain and loss of sensation. Duration of diabetes 10yrs, type 2 D, old age and hypertension were the major risk factors for DSP. Treatment of painful diabetic neuropathy was not optimal. RECOMMENDATIONSs: We recommend strengthening of routine screening for neuropathy, to emphasis on foot ulcer risk reduction, management of co-morbidities like hypertension and dyslipidemia, to optimize treatment of painful neuropathy.
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Ethiopian medical journal · Jul 2011
Status of radiological services in Addis Ababa public hospitals.
The availability and quality of radiological service in the developing countries are generally poor. Ethiopia is one of the countries where overall health service has been compromised by inadequate & poorly maintained infrastructure and scarcity of health professionals. Radiological service is a resource intensive unit in a hospital and most developing countries radiological service is expected to be poor or may not be available at all. However, there is no study conducted to assess the radiological service in Ethiopia. ⋯ This study verifies the poor radiological infrastructure, poor level of support and the basic nature of the radiological service in the capital. We believe this finding can be used as an indirect indicator of the possible worse scenario in the regional and peripheral hospitals. Therefore a nation- wide survey & plannedgovernment intervention is recommended to improve the radiological service.
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Ethiopian medical journal · Jan 2011
Chest X-ray evaluation of pneumonia-like syndromes in smear negative HIV-positive patients with atypical chest x-ray. Findings in Ethiopian setting.
Pulmonary tuberculosis (TB), bacterial pneumonia (BP) and Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP), account for the major causes of pneumonia-like syndromes seen in HIV-AIDS patients and have overlapping clinical and chest x-ray findings pausing challenge to early diagnosis and treatment in Africa. The accuracy of chest x-ray (CXR) interpretations, inter-observer agreement, degree of chest x-ray overlapping, and distinguishing features among these common lung infections was assessed at Tĩkur Anbessa hospital, a tertiary care referral hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. ⋯ Overlapping clinical and radiographic features often occurs as is co-existing infections in HIV-AIDS patients with respiratory symptoms. Therefore, definitive microbiological method should be the main tool to expedite early diagnosis and treatment in HIV-infected patients with respiratory symptoms.