Cardiovascular disease has reached near epidemic proportion in sub-Saharan Africa, and systemic hypertension (SH) remains the driver of cardiovascular complications. We studied hypertension-related admissions and their outcome at the Abubaker Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH) Bauchi, Northeast Nigeria. Records of all patients admitted into the medical wards between 1st November 2010 and 31st October 2011 were studied, and case files of those managed for SH complications were selected for detailed examination. Of the total 3108 admissions, 735 (23.7%) were hypertension related. Mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were 167.4 ± 18.2 and 98.6 ± 13.5, respectively, at presentation. Although, hypertension-related admissions were 23.7% of total admissions, there was an excess of mortality associated with SH complications (42.9%). Stroke was the commonest, and it accounted for 44.4% of cases. Stroke had the highest mortality (39.3%), followed by chronic kidney disease (36.6%); hypertensive emergencies (30.9%) and hypertensive heart failure had the lowest intrahospital mortality (27.5%). In conclusion, SH-related admissions are common among medical admissions in Bauchi Nigeria and are associated with high mortality. Community interventions that promote early diagnosis and reduction of cardiovascular risk profiles are urgently needed to reduce SH deaths.

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Treatment failure in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis poses a great danger to the global effort in control of tuberculosis. This study evaluated prevalence of treatment failure among pulmonary tuberculosis patients at Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Gombe, Nigeria. Consecutive patients managed between August 2008 and August 2009 at the Directly Observed Therapy (Tuberculosis) Unit of our hospital were enrolled for the study. Sputum specimens were collected from each patient at entry for Acid Fast Bacilli and repeated at the end of 2nd, 5th and 7th month of treatment. Of the 247 patients recruited, 200 patients consisting of 118 (59%) males and 82 (41%) females aged 15–78 years with a mean of 36.8 ± 12.4 years completed the study. One hundred and fifteen (57.5%) of the patients were sputum smear positive at entry while 85 (42%) were negative. Among 115 smear positive patients at baseline, 80 patients (69.6%), 26 (22.6%) and 24 (20.9%) remained positive after 2nd, 5th and 7th month of treatment respectively. In conclusion, there is a high treatment failure rate (22.6%) among our TB patients; and this poses a great danger to healthcare personnel and close contacts in the community.

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Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic continues to overwhelm health systems across the globe. We aimed to assess the readiness of hospitals in Nigeria to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak. Method Between April and October 2020, hospital representatives completed a modified World Health Organisation (WHO) COVID-19 hospital readiness checklist consisting of 13 components and 124 indicators. Readiness scores were classified as adequate (score ≥80%), moderate (score 50–79.9%) and not ready (score <50%). Results Among 20 (17 tertiary and three secondary) hospitals from all six geopolitical zones of Nigeria, readiness score ranged from 28.2% to 88.7% (median 68.4%), and only three (15%) hospitals had adequate readiness. There was a median of 15 isolation beds, four ICU beds and four ventilators per hospital, but over 45% of hospitals established isolation facilities and procured ventilators after the onset of COVID-19. Of the 13 readiness components, the lowest readiness scores were reported for surge capacity (61.1%), human resources (59.1%), staff welfare (50%) and availability of critical items (47.7%). Conclusion Most hospitals in Nigeria were not adequately prepared to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak. Current efforts to strengthen hospital preparedness should prioritize challenges related to surge capacity, critical care for COVID-19 patients, and staff welfare and protection.

Objective: Nigeria records it largest outbreak of Lassa fever in 2018, with 416 confirmed cases by 22 April 2018 affecting 22 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). This study determines the descriptive features of Lassa fever in Bauchi, Northeastern Nigeria. Methods: A retrospective study that encompasses all the suspected and confirmed cases of Lassa fever managed in Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH), Bauchi, between October 2016 and April 2018. Clinical notes of these patients were used to source information including sociodemographic features, clinical characteristics of the presenting illness, laboratory investigations results, working diagnosis, line of management, and treatment outcomes. Results: A total 127 suspected cases records were reviewed out of which 27(21%) were positive for Lassa fever Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test. Thirteen (48%) of the confirmed cases were males and fourteen (51.9%) females giving a male to female ratio of 1:1.08. their ages ranged from 1 to 60 years with a mean age of 27.5. Most cases were seen between October and April. Fever was the most common clinical presentation, occurring in 23 cases (85%) at presentation. Other clinical features were headache 20 cases (74%), bleeding 19 cases (70%), abdominal pain 14 cases (52%), Nausea/Vomiting 12 cases (44%), Diarrhoea 11 cases (41%), cough 11 cases (41%), encephalitis 9 cases (33%), Chest pain 8 cases (30%), Hypotension 7 cases (26%), Sore throat 5 cases (19%) and Facial and or Neck swelling 3 cases (11%). Mortality among the confirmed cases was (44.4%) with all deaths occurring within 72hours of presentation and had bleeding and or encephalitis as presenting symptoms. Conclusion: Lassa fever is relatively common in Bauchi state and affects people of all age groups and sexes. Late presentation, bleeding and encephalitis were common features among mortality cases.

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