Seizure frequency and risk of cognitive impairment in people living with epilepsy in a sub-urban community in South Eastern Nigeria.

This study is aimed at assessing the impact of seizure frequency on the cognitive performance of epileptic adult patients in a rural community in South Eastern Nigeria. A total of 51 patients with epilepsy (33 males and 18 females) with a mean age of 30.7 ±â€¯12.1 years and 51 age and sex matched controls participated in this study. The cognitive performances of the people with epilepsy and controls were assessed using the Community Screening Interview for Dementia (CSID) and the computerized cognitive assessment test battery, the FePsy. The control group performed better in almost all the neurocognitive tests compared with the low seizure frequency (LSF) and high seizure frequency (HSF) groups. Analysis of covariance revealed that patients with LSF performed better (p = 0.04) in visual reaction time - dominant hand (VRT-D) compared with the HSF group. There was lack of significant differences in mean total CSID scores and mean sub-total scores for language, memory, orientation, attention, constructional praxis, auditory reaction time-dominant hand and non-dominant hand, VRT - non-dominant hand and figure recognition. HSF patients indicated significantly greater prevalence (80% vs. 20%; p = 0.020) and risk (OR, 8.0; 95% CI, 1.8-33.8)) of memory impairment, but not in the other neurocognitive domains compared with the LSF group. In conclusion, the present study indicated that adults with epilepsy performed poorly in a wide range of neurocognitive variables compared with the controls. However, no significant adverse effects of high seizure frequency were observed on almost all the neurocognitive variables.

A community-based case-control study of prevalence and pattern of cognitive impairments in patients with epilepsy residing in South-Eastern Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Epilepsy is the commonest neurological disorder encountered in Sub-Saharan Africa. The quality of life of patients with epilepsy (PWEs) is adversely affected by cognitive impairments. AIM: This study investigated the prevalence and pattern of cognitive impairments in PWE in Ukpo community located in a South-Eastern state in Nigeria using Community Screening Interview for Dementia (CSID) and a computer-assisted cognitive test battery (FePsy). METHODS AND PATIENTS: Fifty-one PWEs were studied and compared with 51 age-, sex-and level of education-matched healthy controls. Diagnosis of epilepsy was confirmed clinically with eye-witness corroboration. Sociodemographic data and information on epilepsy variables were obtained with the aid of a questionnaire. Cognitive domains assessed include language, memory, orientation, attention, psychomotor speed and constructional praxis. RESULTS: The prevalence rate of cognitive impairment using total CSID score was 19.6%. Analysis of CSID scores revealed significant impairment in language (17.6%), memory (29.4%), orientation (15.7%), attention (7.8%) and constructional praxis (15.7%) compared to healthy controls. A similar pattern was observed with FePsy but with better sensitivity indices for detecting cognitive impairment. CONCLUSION: This study indicated significant prevalence rate of cognitive impairment among treatment-naïve PWE with profound affectation of memory, mental speed and language. In addition, the FePsy was found to be more sensitive and specific in assessment of cognitive function in PWE.

Knowledge of the Nigerian Code of Health Research Ethics Among Biomedical Researchers in Southern Nigeria.

Responsibility for protection of research participants from harm and exploitation rests on Research Ethics Committees and principal investigators. The Nigerian National Code of Health Research Ethics defines responsibilities of stakeholders in research so its knowledge among researchers will likely aid ethical conduct of research. The levels of awareness and knowledge of the Code among biomedical researchers in southern Nigerian research institutions was assessed. Four institutions were selected using a stratified random sampling technique. Research participants were selected by purposive sampling and completed a pre-tested structured questionnaire. A total of 102 biomedical researchers completed the questionnaires. Thirty percent of the participants were aware of the National Code though 64% had attended at least one training seminar in research ethics. Twenty-five percent had a fairly acceptable knowledge (scores 50%-74%) and 10% had excellent knowledge of the code (score ≥75%). Ninety-five percent expressed intentions to learn more about the National Code and agreed that it is highly relevant to the ethical conduct of research. Awareness and knowledge of the Code were found to be very limited among biomedical researchers in southern Nigeria. There is need to improve awareness and knowledge through ethics seminars and training. Use of existing Nigeria-specific online training resources is also encouraged.

Intellectual Impairment in Patients with Newly Diagnosed HIV Infection in Southwestern Nigeria.

Neurocognitive impairment is a detrimental complication of HIV infection. Here, we characterized the intellectual performance of patients with newly diagnosed HIV infection in southwestern Nigeria. We conducted a prospective study at Owo Federal Medical Center by using the adapted Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS). The raw scores were converted to standardized scores (z-scores) and correlated with clinical and laboratory findings. Fifty-eight HIV positive patients were recruited; 72% were in WHO stages 3 and 4. We detected a high rate of intellectual impairment in HIV positive patients and controls (63.8% and 10%, resp.; P < 0.001). HIV positive patients performed worse throughout the subtests of both verbal and performance intelligence quotients. Presence of opportunistic infections was associated with worse performance in the similarities and digit symbol tests and performance and full scale scores. Lower body weight correlated with poor performance in different WAIS subtests. The high rate of advanced disease stage warrants measures aimed at earlier diagnosis and treatment. Assessment of neurocognitive performance at diagnosis may offer the opportunity to improve functioning in daily life and counteract disease progression.

Sleep disturbances among patients with epilepsy in Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: There is a complex inter-relationship between sleep disorders and epilepsy, and there are few studies in Nigeria on sleep disorders in epilepsy. This study was carried out to determine the prevalence, pattern and predictors of sleep disturbances among persons with epilepsy (PWE). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a multi-center, cross-sectional study of 124 PWE in Nigeria. A questionnaire was used to collect data on social and demographic variables, epilepsy- related variables and sleep disturbances in PWE. Exclusion criteria were mental retardation, and use of sedative drugs. The data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 11.0 and P < 0.05 was considered as significant. RESULTS: There were 77 males and 47 females with a mean age of 33.4 ± 13.1 years. The mean age of seizure onset was 23.7 ± 14.6 years, while the mean duration of epilepsy was 9.5 ± 9.4 years. The commonest type of epilepsy was secondarily generalized tonic-clonic seizures (62%). The prevalence of sleep disorders in PWE was 82%. Parasomnias occurred in 46%, followed by obstructive sleep apnea in 23%, insomnia (19%) excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) (17%), and restless leg syndrome (11%). None of the socio-demographic or epilepsy- related variables was predictive of EDS or parasomnias in PWE (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: There is a high frequency of sleep disorders among PWE. Clinicians should screen PWE for sleep disturbances.

A prototype worldwide survey of diagnostic and treatment modalities for stroke.

Stroke is a global health problem. However, very little is known about stroke care in low- to middle-income countries. Obtaining country-specific information could enable us to develop targeted programs to improve stroke care. We surveyed neurologists from 12 countries (Chile, Georgia, Nigeria, Qatar, India, Lithuania, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Denmark, Brazil, Belgium, and Bangladesh) using a web-based survey tool. Data were analyzed both for individual countries and by income classification (low income, lower middle income, upper middle income, and high income). Six percent (n = 200) of 3123 targeted physicians completed the survey. There was a significant correlation between income classification and access and affordability of head computed tomography scan (ρ = .215, P = .002), transthoracic echocardiogram (ρ = .181, P = .012), extracranial carotid Doppler ultrasound (ρ = .312, P ≤ .000), cardiac telemetry (ρ = .353, P ≤ .000), and stroke treatments such as intravenous thrombolysis (ρ = .276, P ≤ .001), and carotid endarterectomy (ρ = .214, P ≤ .004); stroke quality measures such as venous thromboembolism prophylaxis during hospital stay (ρ = .163, P ≤ .022), discharge from hospital on antithrombotic therapy (ρ = .266, P ≤ .000), consideration for acute thrombolytic therapy (ρ = .358, P ≤ .000), and antithrombotic therapy prescribed by end of hospital day 2 (ρ = .334, P ≤ .000). However, there was no significant correlation between income classification and the access and affordability of antiplatelet agents, vitamin K antagonists and statins, anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation/flutter, statin medication, stroke education, and assessment for rehabilitation. Our study shows that it is possible to get an overview of stroke treatment measures in different countries by conducting an internet-based survey. The generalizability of the findings may be limited by the low survey response rate.

Etiologies of epilepsy and health-seeking itinerary of patients with epilepsy in a resource poor setting: analysis of 342 Nigerian Africans.

PURPOSE: The understanding of causation of epilepsy, especially in resource poor African countries where prevalence rates are very high, would aid strategies for primary prevention. This study sought to determine the causes of epilepsy in Nigerian Africans and health-itinerary of patients with epilepsy. METHOD: This was an observational, cross-sectional descriptive study of consecutive newly diagnosed adult patients with epilepsy using a mixed-methods approach of face-to-face in-depth interview of patients' parents and relations, health care personnel who had given medical attention at any time and telephone interview. A structured interview schedule was used to obtain demographic information, details of seizure variables, health seeking itinerary and history of previous hospitalizations. Data was analyzed descriptively with SPSS version 17. RESULTS: Three hundred and forty-two patients with epilepsy with a mean age of 31.4±11.98 years participated in the study. Most of the patients (68.1%; 233/342) were unemployed and students. There were 270 (78.9%) patients with generalized epilepsy. No identifiable etiology was found in 37.7%, but of the remaining 62.3%, the commonest causes included post traumatic (19.6%), recurrent childhood febrile convulsions (13.2%), post-stroke (6.7%), brain tumors (5.9%), neonatal jaundice (5.3%), birth-related asphyxia (5%) and history of previous CNS infections (4.7%). Family history of epilepsy was obtained in 9.9%, all of whom had primarily generalized seizures. 61.4% of them sought initial attention from the traditional healers or in prayer houses. CONCLUSION: This study showed the pattern of causes of epilepsy in Nigerian Africans. The health seeking behavior and itinerary of the PWE revealed a preference for traditional healers. There is need for health policies and epilepsy awareness campaigns to prevent causes of seizures and improve the knowledge of the public respectively.

Development and pilot testing of an online module for ethics education based on the Nigerian National Code for Health Research Ethics.

BACKGROUND: The formulation and implementation of national ethical regulations to protect research participants is fundamental to ethical conduct of research. Ethics education and capacity are inadequate in developing African countries. This study was designed to develop a module for online training in research ethics based on the Nigerian National Code of Health Research Ethics and assess its ease of use and reliability among biomedical researchers in Nigeria. METHODOLOGY: This was a three-phased evaluation study. Phase one involved development of an online training module based on the Nigerian Code of Health Research Ethics (NCHRE) and uploading it to the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) website while the second phase entailed the evaluation of the module for comprehensibility, readability and ease of use by 45 Nigerian biomedical researchers. The third phase involved modification and re-evaluation of the module by 30 Nigerian biomedical researchers and determination of test-retest reliability of the module using Cronbach's alpha. RESULTS: The online module was easily accessible and comprehensible to 95% of study participants. There were significant differences in the pretest and posttest scores of study participants during the evaluation of the online module (p = 0.001) with correlation coefficients of 0.9 and 0.8 for the pretest and posttest scores respectively. The module also demonstrated excellent test-retest reliability and internal consistency as shown by Cronbach's alpha coefficients of 0.92 and 0.84 for the pretest and posttest respectively. CONCLUSION: The module based on the Nigerian Code was developed, tested and made available online as a valuable tool for training in cultural and societal relevant ethical principles to orient national and international biomedical researchers working in Nigeria. It would complement other general research ethics and Good Clinical Practice modules. Participants suggested that awareness of the online module should be increased through seminars, advertisement on government websites and portals used by Nigerian biomedical researchers, and incorporation of the Code into the undergraduate medical training curriculum.

Effects of highly active antiretroviral therapy on cognitive functions in severely immune-compromised HIV-seropositive patients.

OBJECTIVE: This study assessed the effects of highly active antiretroviral therapy on the cognitive performances of HIV seropositive patients with severe immune depression. METHODS: It is a prospective longitudinal interventional study of 69 anti-retroviral naïve HIV-seropositive adult patients with CD4 levels ≤ 350/µl. The cognitive assessment was done at initiation and 12 months after anti-retroviral treatment using the Community Screening Instrument for Dementia (CSID) and the computer-assisted Iron Psychology (FePsy). The impact of therapy on CD4 levels and cognitive scores of the patients before and after therapy were compared and tested for statistical significance using Student t test and one-way ANOVA. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 36.6 ± 8.8 years. There was a significant increase in CD4 levels of the patients from 144.75 ± 88.92 at baseline to 295.91 ± 148.79 after 12 months of HAART (p<0.0001). There were significant improvements in their cognitive scores (p<0.05) in all cognitive domains tested but the finger tapping task (motor speed) did not show any improvement (p>0.05). Combination ARV drugs with efavirenz did not significantly improve attention and choice reaction time. CONCLUSION: Highly active antiretroviral therapy significantly improved the CD4 levels and cognitive performances of treated HIV positive patients in all tested domains with the exception of motor speed.

Depressive symptoms in patients with epilepsy: analysis of self-rating and physician's assessment.

BACKGROUND: Depression has significant negative impact on the quality of life in patients with epilepsy (PWE). AIM: This study assessed the prevalence of depression in PWE and the impact of seizure variables on the depression scores. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A case-control study of randomly selected PWE attending a tertiary hospital in a metropolitan, Nigeria. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 152 randomly selected subjects the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) for quantitative assessment of depression, while the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) was used by the investigators. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The Student t test assessed statistical significance of differences in the BDI and HRSD scores, whereas the scores were correlated with Pearson's correlation coefficient. Logistic regression analysis and Chi-square test for trend assessed the impact of seizure variables on the scores. The level of significance was taken as P < 0.05. RESULTS: The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 42% and 45% using the HRSD and BDI, respectively, with significant differences in the scores of the patients and controls on the both scales (P < 0.001). The PWE scores on both scales yielded a correlation coefficient of 0.8 indicating their utility in detecting depressive symptoms. Seizure control was the most potent predictor of depression (HRSD: P = 0.004; BDI: P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Depressive symptoms are common in epilepsy. Early detection and prompt management are recommended. Good seizure control with an appropriate antiepileptic drug, among other interventional measures, may contribute to the prevention of depression in epilepsy.

Memory performance in HIV/AIDS--a prospective case control study.

BACKGROUND: Memory impairment, usually impaired retrieval of information, has been described in HIV/AIDS, especially among those with severe illness. Neuro-cognitive disturbances in HIV/AIDS have been linked to poor quality of life and medication adherence. This prospective, case-control study was designed to assess the verbal and non-verbal memory as well as the attention abilities of Nigerian Africans with HIV/AIDS and correlate their performances with their CD4+ T lymphocytes (CD4+) counts. METHODS: A total of 288 randomly selected subjects, comprising 96 HIV-positive symptomatic patients, 96 HIV-positive asymptomatic patients and 96 HIV-negative controls, participated in the study. The subjects were age-, sex-, and level of education matched. The Recognition Memory Test and Choice Reaction Time tasks, components of the computer-assisted neuropsychological tests battery- the Iron Psychology 'FePsy' were used for cognitive assessments. RESULTS: The mean memory scores of the HIV-positive asymptomatic subjects did not differ significantly from the controls (p > 0.05) but the HIV-positive symptomatic subjects' scores were significantly lower than the controls (p < 0.05). Both HIV-positive groups had psychomotor slowing and impaired attention (p < 0.05). The HIV-positive subjects with CD4+ counts < 200/microl and between 200 and 499/microl had significant memory impairment (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001 respectively) but there was no significant impairment among those with count > or = 500/microl. Impaired ability for sustained attention was however present irrespective of the CD4+ level relative to controls (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that there was no significant memory disturbance among HIV-positive asymptomatic subjects despite the presence of impaired attention and psychomotor slowing, and that the severity of immune suppression (as indicated by the CD4+ T lymphocytes count) is a strong determinant of cognitive decline in HIV/AIDS.

Tetanus: an analysis of the prognosticating factors of cases seen in a tertiary hospital in a developing African country between 1990 and 2000.

This is an analysis of the effects of prognosticating factors on the outcome of a case series of 66 patients with tetanus, presenting between 1990 and 2000. The mortality rate was 26.2% with a fatality rate of 16.2% for those under 40 years of age. This increased to 75% for those patients above 70 years of age. The socioeconomic status, immunization status, the incubation period, and age of the patient together with the severity of the spasms, duration of hospital stay, type of treatment received and time of onset were found to affect the outcome of the patients.

Tetanus: an analysis of the prognosticating factors of cases admitted into the medical wards of a tertiary hospital in a developing African country between 1990 and 2000.

This is an analysis of the effects of prognosticating factors on the outcome of patients with tetanus who were seen in our hospital between 1990 and 2000. Tetanus remains a major public health hazard associated with high mortality. A total of 66 cases were analysed with a slight female preponderance. The mortality rate was 26.2% with an age-adjusted fatality rate of 16.2% for those under 40 years of age. This increased to 75% for those patients above 70 years of age. The most common portal of entry was lower limb, specifically the foot, and this was the case in 56%. The socio-economic status of the patients, the immunisation status, the incubation period, the age of the patient, the severity of the spasms, the duration of hospital stay, the type of treatment received and the onset time were found to affect the outcome of the patients. We recommend that health care providers should take every opportunity to review the vaccination status of their parents and provide tetanus vaccine when indicated, and recall when treating injured patients that many middle-aged and older adults are not adequately immunised against tetanus.