Introduction: Lassa fever is a disease of public health importance because of the associated morbidity and high case fatality rate among hospitalized patients. Even after recovery, there may be residual problems such as sensorineural hearing loss. The initial presentation of Lassa fever may be with non-specific symptoms similar to what is seen in the more common febrile illnesses such as malaria or typhoid fever. In such a setting therefore, timely diagnosis of Lassa fever may be difficult. Case Report: We report a case of Lassa fever that presented to our institution. She was a middle aged woman who had non-specific symptoms of febrile illness and who died in less than 48 hours of admission. She had a subtle bleeding on the lip just before death which was what raised the suspicion for Lassa fever. Laboratory confirmation of Lassa fever was made retrospectively. Conclusion: When the presenting symptoms are non-specific, a high index of suspicion is required for timely recognition of Lassa fever. Early diagnosis is important for prompt therapeutic intervention as well as for limiting the spread of the disease. This is the second case of Lassa fever presenting to our hospital, but the first published case of Lassa fever from our hospital.
Background: The relationship between splenic size and age has been well studied in children but reports on adults have been inconsistent. In Nigeria, the relationship between splenic size and age as well as the inter-decade changes in splenic length in adults has not been adequately studied. Objectives: This study aimed at determining the relationship between splenic length and age in adult Nigerians. Methods: This is a retrospective study in which sonographic splenic lengths of adult Nigerians aged 30 years and above were correlated with age. The relevant data were obtained from the medical records of those who had ultrasound splenic examination for the purposes of medical checkup between December 2016 and December 2017. Results: There were 50 cases aged between 34 and 57 years, with a mean age of 42.76 ± 7.73 years. Their spleens had normal shape and echotexture. The mean splenic length was 9.56 ± 1.37 cm. Splenic length correlated negatively with age and decreased from 9.79 ± 1.00 cm in the fourth decade to 9.49 ± 1.67 cm in the fifth decade and to 9.24 ± 1.63 cm in the sixth decade. The mean splenic length of 9.56 recorded in these cases was relatively small when compared to the results by other workers who studied subjects of much younger age groups. Conclusion: The studied cases which were in the fourth, fifth and sixth decades of life had a relatively small mean splenic length. There was no significant change in splenic length with increasing age.
Background: Resting heart rate is related to cardiovascular mortality as well as to all-cause mortality. It is therefore important to know whether resting heart rate changes with age in adults. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between heart rate and age in adult Nigerians. Methods: It was a retrospective study on adult Nigerians attending a University Teaching Hospital in Nigeria. All the needed data were retrieved from the medical records. Heart rate was calculated from the electrocardiogram and correlated with age. Results: There were 99 cases aged between 20 and 54 years and comprised of 60 males and 39 females. The mean heart rate was 73.40±13.16 beats/minute. Across the various decades, the mean heart rate in beats per minute was 73.46±10.70 in the third decade, 75.52±12.16 in the fourth decade, 72.38±13.91 in the fifth decade, and 71.60±18.77 in the sixth decade of life (p=0.770). Heart rate correlated negatively and weakly with age (r=-0.034, p=0.736). There were more cases of sinus bradycardia than sinus tachycardia, but the proportion of cases with heart rate outside 60 beats per minute to 100 beats per minute was small. Conclusion: This study showed that resting heart rate did not change with age in young adult and middle-aged Nigerians who had no clinical evidence of heart disease. A greater proportion of them were in normal sinus rhythm.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.