Medicine and Surgery

Background : Commercial motorcyclists are popular due to the convenience associated with their use especially in areas where taxis do not ply. The financial benefits to the operators caused a boom but indirectly resulted in a lot of carnage on our roads. These accidents (RTA) have been attributed to various causes including driving under the influence of drugs that affect the central nervous system (CNS). Objective : This study was aimed at determining the role of CNS affecting drugs in the causation of RTA among these motorcyclists and also to make recommendations based on the result. Methodology : This is a cross-sectional survey with a multi-stage random sampling used to select 615 commercial motorcyclists in Enugu metropolis. A structured questionnaire was administered after obtaining consent from the respondents. Data were analysed with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 11.5 and variables were tested using the Chi square. A p-value of <0.05% was cons...

To report a case of bilateral orbital cellulitis in a conscious 11-year-old Nigerian girl and the management challenges. Bilateral orbital cellulitis secondary to rhinosinusitis is uncommon but has been reported in the literature in other countries where the diagnosis was made with the aid of necessary tools such as the computerized tomography scan among others. In this case, the challenge associated with the management of the index child is a reflection of the difficulties encountered in the treatment of patients in the developing countries and the importance of a good clinical judgment, early diagnosis, and prompt intervention in the management of bilateral orbital cellulitis. This is a case report of an 11-year-old Nigerian girl of the Igbo tribe. She presented with painful progressive protrusion of the eyeballs and swelling of the lids of 3 days duration. The left eyeball protruded 2 days after the right with no associated history of altered sensorium. A working diagnosis of bil...

Background: The burden of avoidable blindness in Nigeria and in Sub-Saharan Africa is huge. The socioeconomic implications in the face of the present economic crisis cannot be overlooked. Recent estimates in Sub-Saharan Africa showed that 21.4 million people are visually impaired with 4.8 million of these blind. Approximately 80% of these are preventable or curable through the delivery of cost-effective eye care services. Aim: This study aims to determine the burden of visual impairment and blindness in Imo State with a view to make recommendations to the Ministry of Health for effective intervention and distribution of the available resources using the vision 2020 targets. Subjects and Method: This was a retrospective review of data generated during the free eye screening organized in 5 communities in Imo State, Nigeria by Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria. Results: Two hundred and fifty respondents with a male to female ratio of 1: 1.36 participated in the free ey...

Objective: To evaluate the effect of glaucoma on the mental health of primary open-angle glaucoma patients using Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)Materials and Methods: This was a hospital-based comparative study in which 180 glaucoma patients and controls 18 years and above who met the inclusion criteria were selected consecutively in the Eye Clinic of Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, Imo State, in 2017. Data were collected using a questionnaire and the HADS protocol. All the participants underwent comprehensive ocular examination, and glaucoma was graded using visual field perimetric indices and mean deviation. Results: The mean age for cases was 58.14 ± 13.88 years, whereas that of the control group was 57.19 ± 13.76 years. The majority of glaucoma respondents had the moderate form of the disease followed by the severe form. The glaucoma patients showed evidence of poor mental health with 59 (32.8%) of them anxious and 39 (21.7%) depressed compared to controls (P < 0.001). The mean scores for anxiety and depression were 6.02 ± 4.8 and 5.20 ± 4.5, respectively, for glaucoma patients, whereas those for the control group were 0.63 ± 1.8 and 0.64 ± 2.1, respectively (P < 0.001). There was no uniform correlation between the mental health of patients and the variables under study. Conclusion: Primary open-angle glaucoma affects the mental health of patients. This effect is worsened by the severity of the disease and influenced by the occupation and educational level of the patients. Multidisciplinary management of primary open-angle glaucoma patients is recommended.

mellitus is a chronic non-communicable disease (NCD) of public health importance, as it has become a global epidemic requiring the efforts of caregivers and patients for effective management and prevention. This has necessitated the inclusion of diabetes education as an essential component of diabetes care. The aim of this study was to determine the knowledge of diabetes and the impact of this knowl- edge on patient management, with a view to making recommendations on how to improve management and treatment outcomes. This was a prospective cross-sectional study includ- ing all previously diagnosed patients with diabetes who attended the Outpatient Endocrinology Clinic of the Department of Internal Medicine, Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, Imo state, Nigeria during the period of the study. One hundred and three (103) subjects consisting of 44 males and 59 females aged 20-80 years participated in the study. Most had had diabetes for 5 years or less, and about 40% did not know what dia...

Background: The burden of avoidable blindness in Nigeria and in Sub-Saharan Africa is huge. The socioeconomic implications in the face of the present economic crisis cannot be overlooked. Recent estimates in Sub-Saharan Africa showed that 21.4 million people are visually impaired with 4.8 million of these blind. Approximately 80% of these are preventable or curable through the delivery of cost-effective eye care services. Aim: This study aims to determine the burden of visual impairment and blindness in Imo State with a view to make recommendations to the Ministry of Health for effective intervention and distribution of the available resources using the vision 2020 targets. Subjects and Method: This was a retrospective review of data generated during the free eye screening organized in 5 communities in Imo State, Nigeria by Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria. Results: Two hundred and fifty respondents with a male to female ratio of 1: 1.36 participated in the free ey...