CORRELATION BETWEEN SERUM ALBUMIN LEVEL AND PACKED CELL VOLUME IN NEWLY DIAGNOSED PATIENTS WITH PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS IN A TERTIARY HOSPITAL IN BAUCHI, NORTH-EASTERN, NIGERIA.

Introduction: Though some studies showed biochemical and haematologic derangements in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB), but information with regards to the correlation between serum albumin and packed cell volume (PCV) is scarce. The aim of this study was to determine the correlation between serum albumin level and PCV in newly diagnosed patients with PTB at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH), Bauchi, Northeastern Nigeria. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study of consecutive newly diagnosed patients with PTB who were Sputum smear-positive as determined by Gene Expert/Rif MTB machine and HIV-negative by 'Determine' test, that were recruited from the medical outpatient department (MOPD) and directly observed treatment short course (DOTS) clinic of ATBUTH, Bauchi. The study was conducted between 2019-2022. Three milliliters of blood sample was analyzed at ATBUTH laboratory for serum albumin and PCV. Extracted data was analyzed using IBM SPSS version 23.0 software. Result: There were 61 patients studied comprising 46 (75.4%) males and 15 (24.6%) females with male to female ratio of 3:1. Their ages range from 14-64 years old. The mean age ± standard deviation (SD) of the patients was 32.21 ± 13.67 years. The mean ± SD of serum albumin and PCV were 2.99 ± 0.55 g/dl, 33.42 ± 5.66 % respectively. Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficient (r) was +0.475, p = 0.000 which was statistically significant at the 0.01 level suggesting a positive correlation between serum albumin and PCV. Conclusion: There was a significant correlation between serum albumin level and PCV in the patients studied.

Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of Hemodialysis in a New Center in Northern Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Hemodialysis is the most common renal replacement therapy (RRT) modality in Africa and few countries enjoy reimbursement from the government to fund it. Africa contributes <10% of the total RRT patients worldwide this is mainly due to high cost. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: We aimed to review the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients requiring hemodialysis in our center over a 7 years period, to highlight the enormous challenges encountered. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective study of patients aged 15 years and above that was seen between April 2010 and March 2017 at the Hemodialysis unit of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital. Information was extracted from the patient's case folders and dialysis charts. RESULTS: In total, 226 patients had hemodialysis over the period, 124 (54.9%) were male and 102 (49.1%) were female. Sixty-one (27%) patients had acute kidney injury (AKI), 143 (63.3%) had chronic kidney disease (CKD), whereas 22 (9.7%) had acute-on-CKD. A total of 2215 sessions of hemodialysis were done in the period, of which 782 (35.3%) were for AKI and 469 (21.2%) for acute on CKD. A total of 138 (60.6%) patients were discharged and 58 deaths were recorded. CONCLUSION: Although there is rapid proliferation of hemodialysis facilities in the country, many patients could not afford adequate hemodialysis. Inadequate dialysis due to finances was the main cause of death in these category of patients.