Background
The global prevalence of diabetes mellitus is assuming worrisome proportions even among children and young adults. This study is aimed at predicting the risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus in a young adult Nigerian population using the validated FINDRISC tool.
Results
Data on 134 young adults [67 (50.0%) male and 67 (50.0%) female] analyzed in this study revealed a body mass index value of 24.86 ± 3.38 kg/m2 (male) and 25.42 ± 5.39 kg/m2 (female) with 43.2% of participants being overweight or obese. A waist circumference of 85.94 ± 9.69 cm (male) and 83.92 ± 15.24 cm (female) was recorded with 35.8% of participants having central obesity. A fasting blood glucose level of 82.04 ± 14.52 mg/dL (male) and 84.89 ± 18.30 mg/dL (female) was recorded with 32.8% of participants being hyperglycemic. The Finnish Diabetes Risk Scoring (FINDRISC) data [4.86 ± 3.24 (male) and 7.31 ± 3.38 (female)] showed that 1.5% have a high risk (FINDRISC 15–20) while 12.0% have a moderate to high risk (FINDRISC ≥ 12) of developing diabetes.
Conclusion
The FINDRISC tool is an effective diagnostic tool for assessing diabetes risk. In future studies, there may be need to also develop a more specific indigenous risk assessment tool particularly for a young adult Nigerian population.
Background: The burden of cardiovascular diseases in developing countries such as Nigeria is worsened by the increasing prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors. This study is aimed at assessing the levels of cardiovascular risk markers in young Nigerian adults who are hyperglycemic at baseline.
Material and Methods: A total of 200 participants (male and female), aged 15-35 years initially took part in the study while the data of 61 participants (44.3% male and 55.7% female) who were hyperglycemic at baseline was analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0. The levels of cardiovascular risk markers were analyzed in these hyperglycemic young adults.
Results: The females in the study population had a higher blood glucose level (102.91 ± 9.68) when compared to males (98.81 ± 8.13). The study reported the prevalence rates for cardiovascular risk markers: hypertension [31.15% (male), 14.70% (female)]; overweight and obesity [33.33% (males), 52.94% (females)]; central obesity [14.81% (males), 64.70% (females)]; high waist-to-hip ratio [33.33% (males), 91.18% (females)]; hypercholesterolemia and low LDL-C [37.04% and 33.33% respectively (males), 67.65% and 61.76% respectively (females)]; hypertriglyceridemia [25.92% (males), 17.60% (females)]; high atherogenic index of plasma [25.92% (males), 14.70% (females)]; elevated C-reactive protein [7.41% (males), 8.82% (females)]. The cardiovascular risk markers were more prevalent in females relative to the males.
Conclusions: The high prevalence of cardiovascular risk markers suggests that most apparently healthy Nigerians, including young adults may be at high risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.
The liver, despite its crucial role in metabolism is prone to several metabolic injuries and insults manifesting as liver damage. Thus, liver diseases arise from multiple aetiologies. In Nigeria, chronic liver diseases are rampant and constitute a significant cause of morbidity. Globally, medicinal plants play crucial roles in healthcare. Several Nigerian medicinal plants are used in the management of various liver disorders. This review focuses on medicinal plants that are used in the management of liver diseases in Nigeria. The search for novel active principles from plants must be sustained due to increasing prevalence of various liver ailments, challenges associated with liver transplantation and poor healthcare funding. The identification, isolation and characterization of active compounds from Nigerian medicinal plants could lead to the potential development of affordable and effective drugs for the management of liver diseases.
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