Medical conditions present at the Accident and Emergency (A&E) or Emergency Department (ED) very often. Outcome of medical emergencies depends, among other factors, on the age of patients, gender, socioeconomic factors, medical conditions, their severity, time of patients' presentations, quality of care/treatment given and the available resources (manpower and facilities) in the A&E. There is a paucity of published literature on medical emergencies outcome in Aba, Southeast Nigeria. This study, therefore, set out to bridge this gap in knowledge. This was a 1-year observational study in which patients presenting to the A&E/ED of ABSUTH, Aba for treatment of a medical condition were consecutively recruited and followed up until discharged home, admitted to the medical wards or died in A&E. This study lasted from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018. Relevant data obtained were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0 software. A total of 589 patients presented at A&E because of medical conditions/emergencies, made up of 269 (45.7%) males and 320 (54.3%) females. The commonest medical emergencies were DM related complications, acute malaria, HIV/AIDS, heart failure and stroke. Study subjects discharged home were 17.5%, 71.1% were admitted into the medical wards and 11.4% died. Medical emergencies, caused predominantly by non-communicable diseases (NCDs), contributed significantly to the A&E cases in the city of Aba, Nigeria and are associated with considerable mortality. It is recommended that efforts should be made to control the modifiable risk factors of NCDs while early detection and treatment of communicable and NCDs should be affected.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is characterized by chronic hyperglycaemia; the latter predisposes persons living with diabetes to certain diseases of the eyes such as diabetic retinopathy, diabetic macular oedema, cataract, glaucoma etc, each of which may progress to visual loss and blindness. The burden and pattern of diabetic eye diseases among persons living with diabetes in the commercial city of Aba, Nigeria is not known. This study, therefore, set out to determine this. This was a 6-year retrospective study in which all diabetic patients referred to or presenting at the Ophthalmology clinic of Abia State University Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH) Aba, Nigeria between January 2013 and December 2018 were included. The patients were examined by ophthalmologists and optometrists. Visual acuity, refraction, tonometry, slit-lamp examination of the anterior segment and fundus examination were carried out on each patient. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20.0 and p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Participants in the study were 56 (44.4%) males and 70 (55.6%) females. Diabetic ocular complications occurred in 2.4% of the total Ophthalmology clinic visits in ABSUTH, Aba. The commonest diabetic eye disease was cataract which was present in 50% of the participants, No diabetic patient presented with blindness and the commonest co morbid disease in the participants was systemic hypertension. Ocular complications of DM constitute a significant burden to the Ophthalmology clinic visits in the commercial city of Aba and the commonest of these complications is cataract.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is characterized by chronic hyperglycaemia; the latter predisposes persons living with diabetes to certain diseases of the eyes such as diabetic retinopathy, diabetic macular oedema, cataract, glaucoma etc, each of which may progress to visual loss and blindness. The burden and pattern of diabetic eye diseases among persons living with diabetes in the commercial city of Aba, Nigeria is not known. This study, therefore, set out to determine this. This was a 6-year retrospective study in which all diabetic patients referred to or presenting at the Ophthalmology clinic of Abia State University Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH) Aba, Nigeria between January 2013 and December 2018 were included. The patients were examined by ophthalmologists and optometrists. Visual acuity, refraction, tonometry, slit-lamp examination of the anterior segment and fundus examination were carried out on each patient. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20.0 and p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Participants in the study were 56 (44.4%) males and 70 (55.6%) females. Diabetic ocular complications occurred in 2.4% of the total Ophthalmology clinic visits in ABSUTH, Aba. The commonest diabetic eye disease was cataract which was present in 50% of the participants, No diabetic patient presented with blindness and the commonest co morbid disease in the participants was systemic hypertension. Ocular complications of DM constitute a significant burden to the Ophthalmology clinic visits in the commercial city of Aba and the commonest of these complications is cataract.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is characterized by chronic hyperglycaemia; the latter predisposes persons living with diabetes to certain diseases of the eyes such as diabetic retinopathy, diabetic macular oedema, cataract, glaucoma etc, each of which may progress to visual loss and blindness. The burden and pattern of diabetic eye diseases among persons living with diabetes in the commercial city of Aba, Nigeria is not known. This study, therefore, set out to determine this. This was a 6-year retrospective study in which all diabetic patients referred to or presenting at the Ophthalmology clinic of Abia State University Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH) Aba, Nigeria between January 2013 and December 2018 were included. The patients were examined by ophthalmologists and optometrists. Visual acuity, refraction, tonometry, slit-lamp examination of the anterior segment and fundus examination were carried out on each patient. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20.0 and p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Participants in the study were 56 (44.4%) males and 70 (55.6%) females. Diabetic ocular complications occurred in 2.4% of the total Ophthalmology clinic visits in ABSUTH, Aba. The commonest diabetic eye disease was cataract which was present in 50% of the participants, No diabetic patient presented with blindness and the commonest co morbid disease in the participants was systemic hypertension. Ocular complications of DM constitute a significant burden to the Ophthalmology clinic visits in the commercial city of Aba and the commonest of these complications is cataract.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is characterized by chronic hyperglycaemia; the latter predisposes persons living with diabetes to certain diseases of the eyes such as diabetic retinopathy, diabetic macular oedema, cataract, glaucoma etc, each of which may progress to visual loss and blindness. The burden and pattern of diabetic eye diseases among persons living with diabetes in the commercial city of Aba, Nigeria is not known. This study, therefore, set out to determine this. This was a 6-year retrospective study in which all diabetic patients referred to or presenting at the Ophthalmology clinic of Abia State University Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH) Aba, Nigeria between January 2013 and December 2018 were included. The patients were examined by ophthalmologists and optometrists. Visual acuity, refraction, tonometry, slit-lamp examination of the anterior segment and fundus examination were carried out on each patient. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20.0 and p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Participants in the study were 56 (44.4%) males and 70 (55.6%) females. Diabetic ocular complications occurred in 2.4% of the total Ophthalmology clinic visits in ABSUTH, Aba. The commonest diabetic eye disease was cataract which was present in 50% of the participants, No diabetic patient presented with blindness and the commonest co morbid disease in the participants was systemic hypertension. Ocular complications of DM constitute a significant burden to the Ophthalmology clinic visits in the commercial city of Aba and the commonest of these complications is cataract.