BACKGROUND Despite the increasing prevalence of fibromyalgia, there has been little or no attention to its diagnosis and treatment in the undergraduate medical curriculum. This study intended to assess the knowledge and awareness of fibromyalgia among undergraduate medical students in Nigeria. METHODS This was a cross-sectional, descriptive survey conducted from September to December 2021. A total of 175 clinical students participated in the survey. The questionnaire comprised sociodemographic data and questions related to fibromyalgia. A scoring system was developed to stratify knowledge of fibromyalgia into very low, low, average, high, and very high. The level of significance was set at P < 0.05. RESULTS Responses were obtained from 175 clinical students with a mean age of 25.14 ± 3.21 years. Most of the participants (38.3 %) had low fibromyalgia knowledge levels. The main sources of information on fibromyalgia were clinical postings (47.1 %) and the internet (37.1 %). Widespread pain (84.6 %), fatigue (74.9 %), sleep disturbance (73.7 %), and joint pain (69.1 %) were the most selected symptoms. About a third (32.6 %) did not know any diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia. Physical exercise (80.0 %), NSAIDs (77.1%), and prednisolone (66.9 %) were the most selected treatment options. Age (p = 0.045), gender (p = 0.019), class level (p = 0.002), and current clinical posting (p = 0.032) were significantly associated with fibromyalgia knowledge levels. CONCLUSIONS This study revealed inadequate fibromyalgia knowledge among Nigerian medical students. This highlights the need to improve the undergraduate medical curriculum to bridge the knowledge gap.
BACKGROUNDThe metabolic profile which includes glycated haemoglobin, insulin resistance, pancreatic beta cell function and lipid profile is frequently deranged in acute ischaemic stroke. Stroke is a leading cause of death worldwide and an emerging cause of long-term disability and mortality in Africa. Our study aimed to determine the correlation between the metabolic profile and acute ischaemic stroke in a rural Hospital in Southern Nigeria.METHODOLOGYThis was a prospective cross-sectional study. Fifty consecutive first-ever ischaemic stroke patients presenting within 72 hours of stroke were matched for age and sex with 3 control groups (49 persons with type 2 diabetes and hypertension, 49 persons with hypertension only and 57 apparently healthy individuals). Blood samples were obtained from all participants to determine glycated haemoglobin, fasting lipid profile, fasting plasma glucose, fasting insulin and C-peptide and random plasma glucose (in stroke cases at presentation). Insulin resistance and pancreatic beta-cell function were determined using the Homeostatic Model Assessment (HOMA). Data were analysed by multivariate and univariate statistics.RESULTSOne hundred and two (49.8%) males and 103 (50.2%) females participated in the study. The overall mean age of the study participants was 61.6 ± 10.1 years. Compared with the control groups, predictors of acute ischaemic stroke were Fasting insulin (hyperinsulinaemia) [OR (95%CI) = 1.108 (1.043-1.178), p= 0.001], HOMA-β% [OR (95%CI) = 0.994 (0.990-1.001) p=0.006] and total cholesterol [OR (95%CI)= 0.009 (0.001-0.012) p=0.022].CONCLUSIONIn this study, hyperinsulinaemia, impaired beta-cell secretory function (HOMA-β) and elevated total cholesterol were found to be significant risk factors of ischaemic stroke. Hence, the need for regular screening to detect abnormal metabolic profiles and prompt treatment.
Aim: This study aimed to assess the knowledge of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the perception of care among diabetes mellitus patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study among 173 diabetes mellitus patients over 12 weeks in the endocrinology outpatient clinic. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to acquire data on socio-demographic and clinical characteristics, as well as questions to assess COVID-19 knowledge and perception of care. The data acquired were analyzed using SPSS, and a p-value less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results: A total of 173 diabetes mellitus patients participated in the study, and there were more females than males (59% vs. 41%). The participants' mean age was 55.8 ± 14.9 years. The mean knowledge score was 12.42 ± 6.01, and the majority (51.4%) of the participants had poor knowledge of COVID-19 while 11.0% had good knowledge of COVID-19. Higher levels of education and monthly income were significantly associated with higher mean knowledge scores (P-value < 0.001). Increasing monthly income was the only significant predictor of higher knowledge scores (P-value < 0.001). Conclusion: The majority of diabetes mellitus patients had poor overall knowledge of COVID-19. It is therefore imperative that patients with diabetes mellitus are well informed as new trends in COVID-19 unfold.
Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence, distribution, and treatment outcomes of tuberculosis (TB) in a rural hospital in Nigeria. Methods: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study conducted between 2013 and 2022. The data on all patients diagnosed with TB during the study period were collected from the hospital's registry. The data was then entered into SPSS for analysis. The level of statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. Results: The overall prevalence of TB among TB suspects was 41.3%. Pulmonary TB was the most common form of TB, accounting for 87.1% of the cases, while extrapulmonary TB accounted for 12.9%. Among extrapulmonary TB cases, TB lymphadenitis was the most common (27.2%). The mean age of the patients was 44.7±10.9 years, with the majority of cases in the 51-60 and 31-40-year age groups. Males were more affected than females (59.1% vs. 40.9%), and 5.6% of TB patients were HIV-positive. The frequency of rifampicin-resistant TB was 9.5%. The majority of patients (96.5%) had a successful treatment outcome, with 28.9% being cured and 67.6% completing their treatment. Treatment failure occurred in 0.4% of TB cases, while 0.9% defaulted, and 2.2% died. Patients with rifampicin-resistant TB had lower odds of treatment success than those without rifampicin-resistant TB (P = 0.03; OR: 0.5; CI: 0.26-0.96). Conclusions: The study revealed that TB remains a significant public health problem in Nigeria, especially in rural areas. Therefore, there is a need for increased collaboration and stronger measures to prevent and control TB, particularly in low-resource settings.
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