Prevalence of Pre-Diabetes, Diabetes and Associated Cardiovascular Risk Amongst Healthcare Workers in Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Zaria using Glycated Haemoglobin.

BACKGROUND: There is a global rise in the prevalence of diabetes mellitus and pre-diabetes is a fore-runner to type-2 diabetes. Pre-diabetes is reversible, therefore, measures should be taken to halt or slow down its progression to frank diabetes. AIM: The study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of pre-diabetes and diabetes amongst staff of ABUTH, Zaria and identify some cardiovascular risks associated with them. METHODS: A cross-sectional analytical study carried out on 377 healthcare workers who presented at the Medical out-patient department of ABUTH, Zaria in response to an invitation for the 2017 World Diabetes Day free medical screening. HbA1c was assessed via Immunofluorescence method. The difference in HbA1c amongst healthcare workers was determined by One-way Analysis of Variance with Post-hoc Bonferroni test. Cardiovascular risk associations were assessed via Multiple Binary Logistic Regression. RESULTS: Pre-diabetes and diabetes prevalence were 19.4% and 6.5% respectively. There were 28.6% undiagnosed diabetic healthcare workers. There was no significant (p=0.35) difference in HbA1c between different categories of healthcare workers, however, random blood glucose was significantly (p=0.042) higher in other healthcare workers than doctors. There was a significant (p<0.01) association between systolic hypertension and risk of developing pre-diabetes and diabetes (OR, 4.11, CI 0.98-17.30). CONCLUSION: There is a high prevalence of pre-diabetes and diabetes amongst healthcare workers in Zaria. The odds of hypertensive healthcare workers developing pre-diabetes and diabetes is high. Efforts should be geared at intensifying health education, increased work physical activity and proper diet.

Prevalence and pattern of skin diseases in patients with diabetes mellitus at a tertiary hospital in Northern Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common metabolic disorders with a rising prevalence. It cuts across all ages and socioeconomic status. Various skin lesions are frequently observed in diabetic patients. AIMS: This study was carried out to determine the prevalence, pattern, and determinants of skin diseases in diabetic patients at the Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital, Kaduna, North West Nigeria. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred consecutive diabetic patients attending the clinic were included in the study. RESULTS: Many of the patients had more than one skin condition at a time. The most prevalent skin diseases were idiopathic guttate hypomelanosis which was seen in 61% of patients, infections from fungal, bacterial, and viral causes occurred in 30% of patients, other skin disorders were diabetic dermopathy seen in 17% of patients, palmoplantar hyperpigmentation was seen in 13% of patients, while pruritus occurred in 12% of patients and xerosis was seen in 10% of patients. CONCLUSION: Skin disorders are common among diabetic patients at Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital, Kaduna, North West Nigeria.

Incidence, causes and correlates of maternal near-miss morbidity: a multi-centre cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the incidence and factors associated with maternal near-miss. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study with an embedded case-control study. SETTING: Three tertiary referral hospitals in southern Ghana. POPULATION: All women admitted to study facilities with pregnancy-related complications or for birth. METHODS: An adapted version of the WHO Maternal Near Miss Screening Tool was used to identify maternal near-miss cases. These were compared with unmatched controls (uncomplicated deliveries) in a ratio of 1:2. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Incidence of maternal near-miss, maternal near-miss to maternal mortality ratio, and cause of and factors associated with maternal near-miss. RESULTS: Out of 8433 live births, 288 maternal near-miss cases and 62 maternal deaths were identified. In all, 454 healthy controls were recruited for comparison. Maternal near-miss and maternal death incidence ratios were 34.2 (95% CI 30.2-38.1) and 7.4 (95% CI 5.5-9.2) per 1000 live births, respectively with a maternal near-miss to mortality ratio of 4.6:1. Cause of near-miss was pre-eclampsia/eclampsia (41.0%), haemorrhage (12.2%), maternal sepsis (11.1%) and ruptured uterus (4.2%). A major factor associated with maternal near-miss was maternal fever within the 7 days before birth (OR 5.95, 95%CI 3.754-9.424). Spontaneous onset of labour was protective against near-miss (OR 0.09 95% CI 0.057-0.141). CONCLUSION: For every maternal death, there were nearly five maternal near-misses. Women having a fever in the 7 days before delivery were six times more likely to experience a near-miss than women not having fever. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: Maternal near-miss exceeds maternal death by 5:1, with the leading cause of maternal near-miss was pre-eclampsia/eclampsia.

SURGICAL MANAGEMENT OF VOCAL CORD PARALYSIS: THE NEED FOR CAREFUL PATIENT SELECTION.

BACKGROUND: Vocal cord paralysis is one of the challenging laryngeal clinical entities confronting the Laryngologist and indeed, the Phono-surgeon. The ability to maintain an effective balance between voice and airway function to ensure good quality of life requires expertise. This study is therefore designed to highlight our experience on surgical management of vocal cord paralysis. METHOD: Clinical notes of all patients that met the inclusion criteria for this study on vocal cord paralysis over a ten-year period were analysed. Data was generated from patients' case files retrieved using standard codes according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). RESULTS: From the 7,941 new ENT cases seen, 26 patients had vocal cord paralysis (VCP) giving a prevalence of 0.3%. The male to female ratio was 1: 4.2 with a mean age of 45.7years ± 6.3. Their ages ranged from 21-80 years. Thyroidectomy was the main causal factor in 46.2% while idiopathic causes was documented in 23.1%. Twenty-three patients (88.5%) had unilateral VCP from which 21(91.3%) were abductor paralysis. The ratio of Left: Right VCP was 3:1. All the 3 bilateral cases were abductor paralysis. Neurotropic agents only, were effective in cases of unilateral VCP. However, in those with bilateral paralysis, two had tracheostomy only, while the third had a laryngo-fissure, arytenoidoplasty and endo-laryngeal stenting in addition. All were successfully decannulated with good voice quality. CONCLUSION: With these observations, we suggest the choice of appropriate surgical technique, timing and careful patient selection in order to preserve voice, curtail operative sequelae and achieve good quality of life (QoL) which is the overall management strategy, be borne in mind.

Reasons for Unmet Health Care Needs Among Black, Hispanic, and White Children in the United States With or at Risk for Physical and Mental Health Conditions.

Children with special health care needs (CSHCN)-ie, children who are at increased risk for, or currently manage, persistent physical and mental health conditions-require more health care resources than children without special health care needs. Furthermore, CSHCN who identify as racial/ethnic minorities disproportionately encounter unmet needs, according to reports from their caregivers. However, the reasons for their unmet needs are relatively unknown. This study estimated and compared the US national prevalence of caregiver-reported reasons for unmet health care needs for Hispanic, non-Hispanic black, and non-Hispanic white CSHCN. The most common reasons were problems getting an appointment for black CSHCN and cost for Hispanic and white CSHCN. Issues related to transportation were significantly less likely for black than for white and Hispanic CSHCN. Cost-related issues were significantly less likely for black than Hispanic CSHCN. To address reasons for unmet needs for CSHCN, effective structural changes are needed.

Isolated gallbladder rupture following blunt abdominal trauma.

The gallbladder is a relatively well-protected organ; consequently its rupture following blunt abdominal injury is rare and usually associated with other visceral injuries. Isolated gallbladder rupture is extremely rare. We report a healthy Nigerian adult male who sustained isolated gallbladder rupture following blunt abdominal injury from riding a motor cycle (Okada). A high index of suspicion with positive bile aspirate might lead to early diagnosis. Open cholecystectomy is a safe option of treatment in a resource poor centre especially in delayed presentation and has a good outcome.

Serological evidence for brucellosis in Bos indicus in Nigeria.

PURPOSE: Nigeria is the largest cattle-rearing nation in Africa with most animals kept under traditional husbandry practices. While bovine brucellosis does not receive much attention, a relatively high seroprevalence is found in samples submitted for laboratory testing. The aim of the study was to provide serological evidence of brucellosis in cattle from some of the main cattle-rearing states of the country and to validate a simple and rapid field test for the serodiagnosis of bovine brucellosis. METHOD: Serum samples collected in various states of Nigeria from cattle because of suspicion of brucellosis were investigated in the Rose Bengal plate test, and results were compared with a newly developed rapid field test for the detection of Brucella-specific antibodies. RESULTS: Serological evidence for the presence of brucellosis in cattle was obtained for all states included in the study and a high herd prevalence was observed. The seroprevalence was also high among trade and slaughter animals. Results of a rapid field test for the serodiagnosis of bovine brucellosis correlated well with the Rose Bengal plate test (agreement, 95.7%; kappa value, 0.80). CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that bovine brucellosis is an important veterinarian problem in Nigeria. The easy-to-use and robust field test is most promising for field-based surveillance as it provides an immediate result allowing the prompt instigation of control measures.

Epidemiology of armed robbery-related gunshot injuries in Maiduguri, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Gunshot Injuries used to be rare in Nigeria until the civil war of 1967-1970. Unfortunately, it has become very rampant recently. The objective of this paper is to look at the epidemiology of armed robbery-related gunshot injuries as seen in the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital over a five-year period. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data on patients that presented with gunshot injuries within the study period (January 2002 to December 2006) were collected and analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: We studied 129 patients with gunshot injuries that were managed during the study period. This comprises of 117 males and 12 females (M:F=9.8:1). Eighty four (65.1%) were young males between 20 and 40 years. One hundred and fifteen (89.2%) of the 129 victims were shot by armed robbers, the remaining 14 (10.8%) were shot under other circumstances not related to armed robbery. Analysis of the time of attack revealed 72% of victims were attacked at night. Over 80% of victims were shot along the highway. The anatomical sites of gunshot entry wound show the extremities having the highest of 46.1%. Ninety one (79.1%) victims were treated operatively while 16 (13.9%) were treated nonoperatively. CONCLUSION: Armed robbery is the motive behind most gunshot injuries in Nigeria. Most of these attacks are preventable if the government would support and motivate the security apparatus responsible. There is also need for the government to support the victims by shouldering their treatment and subsequent rehabilitation.

Bacterial isolates in chronic suppurative otitis media: a changing pattern?

The most frequently isolated organism in chronic suppurative otitis media from different parts of the world is Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The pattern from this bacteriological study from our region is different. This study was carried out on 97 patients presenting to the outpatient clinic of the National Ear Care Center, Kaduna. Nigeria from May 2008 to April 2009. The patients were aged between 1 year and 75 years comprising 50) males and 47 females giving a male to female ratio of 1:1. Most of the patients (n=40, 41.2%) were in the age group 1-10) years. Seventy-five (77.3%) patients had a positive culture while in 22 (22.7%) patients there was no growth. Gram-negative bacteria comprised 80% of the isolates. The predominant organisms cultured were Klebsiella sp (n=31, 41.3%), Escherichia coli (n=22, 29.3%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n=6, 8%). The gram-positive isolates were Streptococcus sp (n=8, 10.8%) and Staphylococcus aureus (n=7, 9.3%). In-vitro drug sensitivity pattern of all isolates shows that they were more sensitive to Ofloxacin, ciprofloxacin and Perfloxacin. Klebsiella sp. Escherichia coli and Streptococcus sp. are the leading pathogenic organisms in chronic suppurative otitis media in our region and their ensitivity rates are highest to the quinolone antibiotics, which are relatively cheap, readily available as ototopic agents and lack ototoxic effects.

Congenital aganglionic megacolon in Nigerian adults: two case reports and review of the literature.

Congenital aganglionic mega colon (Hirschsprung's disease) is a motor disorder in the gut, due to a defect in the craniocaudal migration of the neuroblast originating from the neural crest that occurs during the first twelve weeks of gestation, causing a functional intestinal obstruction, with its attendant complications, in infants. Despite modern pediatric practice, with emphasis on early diagnosis, Hirschsprung's disease is seen in adults in regions where perinatal care is limited. We report two cases of Nigerian adults with longstanding, recurrent constipation, getting relieved by laxatives and herbal enemata, and then presented to our Emergency Department with a history of progressive abdominal distention, colicky pain, occasional vomiting, and weight loss. Per rectal examination revealed a gripping sensation in the rectum, 10 cm from the anal verge, with rectal fecal load. Barium enema showed a grossly distended proximal large colon, with high fecal retention, with the transition zone at the middle one-third of the rectum. Due to difficulty in bowel preparation of these patients, emergency laparotomy was done. The first case had a diverting sigmoid colostomy and later had a low anterior resection. The second case had a one-stage procedure. Histology of both the cases showed aganglionosis of the stenotic segment and a normal distal rectum. Both patients had complete resolution of the symptoms, without complications, in a three-year follow-up. The related literatures were reviewed. Hirschsprung's disease should be considered in adults patient presenting with chronic constipation. Low anterior resection of the rectum would be a surgical option for the treatment of short and zonal segment of adult Hirschsprung's disease.

Giant ureteric and staghorn calculi in a young adult Nigerian male: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Ureteric calculi are usually small and solitary.The term giant has been applied to ureteric calculi that aremore than five cms in length and/or 50g or more in weight. These are uncommon and may present with few or no urological symptoms and might be ignored or be missed. OBJECTIVE: To present a rare case of a giant left ureteric calculus associated with an ipsilateral staghorn calculus. METHODS: A 31-year-old Nigerian male presented with recurrent left abdominal pain, dysuria, urinary frequency, and fever which had been on for 10 years. Patient was clinically evaluated. He had plain abdominal X-rays, abdominal ultrasonography and intravenous urography. He had to undergo nephrouterorectomy. RESULTS: Patient took analgesics and antibiotics purchased from patent chemist shops for relief of symptoms by himself. He was fit except for a hard cylindrical mass felt arising from the pelvis. Abdomino-pelvic ultrasound scan, plain abdominal X-ray and Intravenous urogram showed a giant ureteric calculus with an ipsilateral staghorn calculus in a nonfunctioning hydronephrotic left kidney. There was no evidence of underlying anatomic or metabolic abnormalities. He had left nephroureterectomy. The ureteric calculus measured 10.5 x 3.0cm and weighed 20.1gm. CONCLUSION: Giant ureteric calculi are rare. The association giant ureteric calculus with an ipsilateral staghorn renal calculus without underlying anatomic abnormalities appear not have been reported earlier.

Breast-axillary complex in HIV/AIDS patients.

BACKGROUND: HIV/AIDS have not only increased the health care burden especially in developing countries, it equally complicates the presentation of many diseases. Some well known disease entities now occur in fulminant complexities not previously described or known as such. The objective of this article is to report an unusual presentation of HIV/AIDS patients to the surgeon with Axillary and ipsilateral breast swelling. METHOD: This is a report of three cases seen and managed by the authors. RESULTS: Three adult female patients presented with progressively increasing axillary and ipsilateral breast swellings. They also had associated fevers and weight loss. Their main concern had been development of breast cancer. One of the patients was a known retroviral positive on Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy (HAART). Examination revealed axillary abscess and ipsilateral breast oedema in two cases. The patient on HAART had a hard breast-axillary mass complex. Biopsy (FNAB) revealed inflammatory cells and no malignancy in all three cases. HIV screening was positive in all cases. One of the patients had excision of breast-axillary mass complex, and the histology showed features of chronic inflammation, with no malignant cells. The other two had incision and drainage of their axillary abscess. CONCLUSION: This shows the ubiquitous presentation of HIV/AIDS in our environment and surgeons should be aware of the breast axillary complex in HIV/AIDS. Medical practitioners should be careful to obtain accurate diagnosis before embarking on treatment especially mutilating surgical procedures.

Waist-height ratio: How well does it predict glucose intolerance and systemic hypertension?

AIM: The aim of this study is to assess whether WHtR is a better predictor of glucose intolerance and systemic hypertension than some other obesity indices. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional observational study among four hundred (4 0 0) participants in a Northern Nigerian population. Four (4) participants were eventually excluded due to incomplete data, therefore data from three hundred and ninety six (3 9 6) participants were used in the final analysis. The study assessed whether WHtR is a better predictor of glucose intolerance and systemic hypertension compared to some other obesity indices. Participants were recruited after due consent, then bio-data, blood pressure levels, and some anthropometric measurements were obtained. Subsequently, plasma glucose levels (fasting [FPG] and 2-hour post 75 g glucose load [2HrPPG]) were measured. Data was entered into Microsoft Excel, then analyzed using IBM SPSS version 23. RESULTS: Data from three hundred and ninety six (3 9 6) participants (4 excluded due to incomplete details) were analyzed. Logistic regression of obesity indices showed that WHtR was the best predictor of glucose intolerance with odds ratio (OD) of 20.74 (CI 2.80-155, p < 0.001), followed by WC with OD of 1.89 (CI 1.83-3.94, p < 0.001), then WHR with OD of 1.69 (CI 1.06-8.22, p = 0.009). The least but significant predictor of glucose intolerance was BMI with odds ratio of 1.12 (CI 1.06-3.18, p < 0.001). Furthermore, logistic regression of obesity indices showed that WHtR was the strongest predictor of systemic hypertension with OD of 2.32 (CI 4.85-14.96, p < 0.001), followed by BMI (OD 1.99, CI 1.96-2.05, p = 0.031), then WC (OD 1.95, CI 1.90-1.99, p = 0.020). The weakest predictor of systemic hypertension was WHR (OD 1.26, CI 0.04-1.88, p = 0.181). CONCLUSION: WHtR had the highest predictive power for both glucose intolerance and systemic hypertension compared to BMI, WC, and WHR.

Tuberculous ileal perforation in a HIV positive patient: a case report and review of literature.

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis is prevalent worldwide. Even in developed countries there is a resurgence of tuberculosis mainly due to increasing HIV infection. Tuberculous ileal perforation is uncommon. It is, however, a potentially fatal complication of intestinal tuberculosis especially in HIV/AIDS patient. AIM: To highlight tuberculous ileal perforation as an underestimated complication of intestinal tuberculosis in an HIV patient presenting with acute abdomen. METHOD: A 42-year-old HIV positive long distance truck driver with tuberculous ileal perforation is presented and related literatures reviewed. CONCLUSION: Intestinal perforation due to abdominal tuberculosis is an aetiological factor in acute HIV abdomen. High index of suspicion remains the key to diagnosis.

Myasthenia gravis associated with autoimmune thyroid disease: a report of two patients.

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an acquired autoimmune disorder causing skeletal muscle fatigue and weakness. This is a report of one woman and her daughter presenting with myasthenia and gravis and Grave's disease. It highlights possible hereditary component of this condition which has not been commonly reported in our setting.

Haematological and Immunological Parameters in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B Infection in Zaria, Nigeria.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The aim of this study was to determine the haematological and immunological parameters in patients with chronic HBV infection in Zaria, Nigeria. Twenty individuals with confirmed chronic HBV (CHB) infection constituted the subjects while 20 non-HBV-infected individuals were monitored as controls. The subjects were enrolled purposively from the Gastroenterology Clinic of the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital Shika, Zaria Nigeria. Four millilitres of blood samples were collected from each study participants. Full blood count was conducted using the Swelab Alfa Haematology Analyzer, while CD4+ T-Cell enumeration was performed using the Sysmex Partec CyFlow® Counter IVD flow cytometer according to the manufacturers' instruction. The mean (and standard deviation) age of the 20 participants with CHB was 32.7 (±10.1) years while that of the 20 HBV negative control participants was 30.0 (±7.8) years. Mann-Whitney test showed no significant difference between the two groups in their total WBC (p=0.6634) and granulocytes (p=0.2386). There was a significant increase in the monocytes count (p=0.0151) and a significant decrease in the lymphocytes count (p=0.0006) of patients with CHB compared to the healthy control. There was no significant difference in the mean CD4+ T-lymphocytes count between subjects and controls (p=0.0633). Unpaired Student t-test showed no significant difference between the two groups in the other haematological parameters. This study showed a significant increase in monocytes and decrease in lymphocytes, a phenomenon that characterize the sustenance of infection by immune evasion mechanism.

Relationship between casual blood sugar and body mass index in a suburban northern Nigerian population: a short communication.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is the most important modifiable risk factor in the pathogenesis of type-2 diabetes reported in most cross sectional studies. However, racial factors seem to be important in the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and glucose intolerance. This study aims at defining the relationship between these variables in two suburban populations in Nigeria. METHOD: A prospective survey of Adults aged 55 years or younger who gave informed consent, in two communities (Makarfi and Giwa) near Zaria, northern Nigeria was done. The BMI and casual blood sugar using capillary blood assessed with the Ames glucometer were determined for all the subjects. Students t-test was used to compare continuous variables while Pearson's correlation coefficient was used for continuous variables; the level of significance was p < 0.05 in each case. RESULT: Three-hundred and seventeen subjects participated in the study Mean age of subjects was 35.03 +/- 9.79 years (33.0 +/- 9.64 among females and 36.18 +/- 9.59 among males p = 0.1007). CONCLUSION: Female subjects had significantly higher BMI than their male counter parts, (26.61 +/- 7.19 KgM2 versus 24.01 +/- 5.39, KgM2 p = 0.0341.) Casual blood sugar levels were however similar between males and females 85.21 +/-27.04 mg/dl versus 85.88 +/- 14.74 mg/dl, p = 0.8868. There was a positive but non-significant correlation between casual blood sugar and BMI among female subjects (r = +0.1520, p > 0.05) in the males however, the correlation between these variables was not significant (r = -0.0395, p > 0.5).

Co-trimoxazole compared with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine in the treatment of uncomplicated malaria in Kenyan children.

Sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) and co-trimoxazole were both effective in reducing fever, clearing parasitaemia and improving anaemia in children aged < 5 years with uncomplicated malaria in 2 Kenyan endemic sites, Oyugis in the west and Tiwi on the coast. We compared the efficacy of these 2 regimens (in May-July 1998) by evaluating clinical and parasitological responses over 14 days. The combined incidence of parasitological failure for the combined sites for co-trimoxazole was 14/123 (11%) and for SP 23/145 (16%) (RR 0.72, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.31-1.46, P = 0.289). The 14-day clinical failure rate for the combined sites for co-trimoxazole was 4/123 (3.3%), and for SP 8/145 (5.5%), (RR 1.69, 95% CI 0.91-3.15, P = 0.129). The results indicate that the risk of treatment failure for the 2 regimens was similar. The antimalarial use of co-trimoxazole in uncomplicated malaria needs further investigation, since the 10-12-h elimination half-life of both components should reduce selective pressure for resistance. In addition, use of a 2-day high-dose course, tested previously, requires further study to demonstrate its efficacy.

Plasma insulin response to oral glucose tolerance test in type-2 Nigerian diabetics.

OBJECTIVE: To study the plasma insulin pattern in type 2 diabetic Nigerians both in the fasting state and in response to a standard oral glucose tolerance test. DESIGN: A cross sectional study. SETTING: Diabetic clinic, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria Nigeria. SUBJECTS: Forty type 2 diabetic patients and thirty six healthy age and sex matched control subjects was undertaken. INTERVENTIONS: Eligible patients and control subjects underwent a standard oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Plasma levels of glucose and insulin levels determined by a glucose oxidase method and ELISA techniques respectively. Student's t-test was used to compare continuous variables, Chi-square test for categorical variable and Pearson's correlation coefficient to define correlation between variables. The level of statistical significance in each case was taken as P < 0.05. RESULTS: Type 2 diabetic patients demonstrated significantly lower fasting plasma insulin levels, when compared to control subjects (4.20+/-1.78 micro- units/ml vs 5.72+/-2.16 micro - units/ml respectively p<0.05). Similarly, plasma insulin levels following oral glucose challenge were significantly lower in the type 2 diabetic population. CONCLUSION: Type 2 diabetic patients in this study demonstrate both fasting post OGTT hypoinsulinaemia. These findings are discussed in the light of the available knowledge on the aetiopathogenesis of type-2 diabetes mellitus in Africans.

Severe diarrhoea complicating metformin therapy: an unusual presentation.

BACKGROUND: Gastro-intestinal symptoms especially diarrhoea could complicate metformin therapy. METHODS: A 57-year old Nigerian man who had severe diarrhoea as a result of metformin therapy is presented. CONCLUSION: Clinicians should be wary of this complication and be on the watch out for it.