Maternal Instruction About Jaundice and the Incidence of Acute Bilirubin Encephalopathy in Nigeria.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether teaching mothers about neonatal jaundice will decrease the incidence of acute bilirubin encephalopathy among infants admitted for jaundice. STUDY DESIGN: This was a multicenter, before-after and cross-sectional study. Baseline incidences of encephalopathy were obtained at 4 collaborating medical centers between January 2014 and May 2015 (Phase 1). Structured jaundice instruction was then offered (May to November 2015; Phase 2) in antenatal clinics and postpartum. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression models compared 3 groups: 843 Phase 1 controls, 338 Phase 2 infants whose mothers received both antenatal and postnatal instruction (group A), and 215 Phase 2 infants whose mothers received no instruction (group B) either because the program was not offered to them or by choice. RESULTS: Acute bilirubin encephalopathy occurred in 147 of 843 (17%) Phase 1 and 85 of 659 (13%) Phase 2 admissions, which included 63 of 215 (29%) group B and 5 of 338 (1.5%) group A infants. OR for having acute bilirubin encephalopathy, comparing group A and group B infants adjusted for confounding risk factors, was 0.12 (95% CI 0.03-0.60). Delayed care-seeking (defined as an admission total bilirubin ≥18 mg/dL at age ≥48 hours) was the strongest single predictor of acute bilirubin encephalopathy (OR 11.4; 6.6-19.5). Instruction decreased delay from 49% to 17%. Other major risk factors were home births (OR 2.67; 1.69-4.22) and hemolytic disease (hematocrit ≤35% plus bilirubin ≥20 mg/dL) (OR 3.03; 1.77-5.18). The greater rate of acute bilirubin encephalopathy with home vs hospital birth disappeared if mothers received jaundice instruction. CONCLUSIONS: Providing information about jaundice to mothers was associated with a reduction in the incidence of bilirubin encephalopathy per hospital admission.

Head Circumference of Babies at Birth in Nigeria.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Measuring head circumference (HC) of newborns is an important tool for evaluating intra-uterine brain development. HC reference charts currently in use in Nigeria are not representative of the local population. We thus present locally derived HC reference data for Nigerian infants at birth. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We reviewed birth records of all infants at the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) over a 10 year period from January 2006. JUTH is a tertiary care center offering obstetric services to a large population of women in Jos and its environs. All births with gestational age between 28 and 42 weeks were included in the study. STATA version 14 was used to calculate gestational age associated HC percentile measurements. RESULTS: We included 18 282 babies to generate the reference values. The mean HC value was 34.4 ± 2.1 cm (M = 34.6 ± 2.16 cm, F = 34.1 ± 2.02 cm, p < 0.001). Our HC reference values significantly differ from the USA and INTERGROWTH-21 charts currently in use in our country. Mean HC was higher in male infants compared with female infants. This difference was uniformly so across all gestational age groups. CONCLUSIONS: The use of our locally derived HC reference values could be more appropriate in defining normal head growth in Nigerian infant populations thereby improving newborn care.

Pathogenesis, diagnostic challenges and treatment of zika virus disease in resource-limited settings.

The association of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection with congenital malformation and neurological sequelae has brought significant global concern. Consequently, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared it "a public health emergency of International concern" on 1 February, 2016. A critical review of its pathogenesis would lead to a better understanding of the clinical features and the neurological complications. This review is based on literature search in PubMed/Medline, Google Scholar and the WHO, http://www.who.int. This include all relevant articles written in English published through June 2018, with subject heading and keywords such as Zika, ZIKV, Zika pathogenesis, diagnosis of Zika, Zika Nigeria, Zika Africa and Zika resource-limited settings. Following ZIKV infection, viraemia ensues targeting primarily the monocytes for both the Asian and African strains. ZIKV infection by an African strain appears to be more pathogenic, in early pregnancy tends to result in spontaneous abortion. Whereas an Asian strain tends to be less pathogenic and more chronic, this allows the pregnancy to continue, ultimately resulting in congenital malformations. There is no routine laboratory diagnosis of ZIKV infection in resource-constrained countries. Serologic tests should be interpreted with caution since there can be cross-reactivity with other flaviviruses, especially in Africa where the burden of infection with flaviviruses is comparatively high. There is a paucity of well-equipped laboratories for comprehensive ZIKV diagnosis. It is imperative to strengthen the health systems, improve health workforce and diagnostic capacity of such settings.

Inadvertent Extended use of ImplanonR Contraceptive Implants by Clients in Jos, Nigeria: An Interesting Finding.

Background: Contraceptive implants are popular methods among women accessing family planning in Jos. Women appear to be using these methods for longer periods despite adequate counselling including the use for a maximum period prescribed by the manufacturers. Methodology: This was a retrospective, cross sectional study of all clients who had ImplanonR classic removed between May 2006 and December 2019. The register of acceptors of the implant was retrieved and relevant variables collated and analyzed for age, duration of use of the implant and the indication for removal. The data was analyzed using the Stata statistical software version 14, College Station, Texas, USA. Results: A total of 1,805 implants were inserted, when all of them would have been removed, only 596(33%) were documented to have been removed. The mean age of the clients was 31.031 ± 5.56 years, range 18-51 years. The mean duration of use of ImplanonR was 29.370 ± 11.756 months, range 0.5-72months. About 83(13.9%) implants were used beyond the expected duration of use of 36 months. By the 3rd, 4th, and 5th years, 86.1%, 97.5% and 99.2% had had the implants removed. Clients used the method beyond the stipulated expiration of the implants, up to twice the period expected. There was no failure or pregnancy recorded. Conclusion: About one-sixth of women extended the use of ImplanonR implants. This may be more as only 33.0% of them returned for removal at the facility where it was inserted. However, there was no pregnancy recorded in this group of women despite the extended duration of use.

Prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection in pregnant women with and without HIV in Jos, Nigeria.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in pregnant women with and without human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in Jos, Nigeria. METHODS: This comparative cross-sectional study of pregnant women was undertaken between 1 November 2017 and 30 April 2018. Informed consent was obtained, demographic data and predictors for HBV were collected, and all women were screened for HIV and HBV. Descriptive statistics and multivariate analyses using STATA Version 15 were performed. RESULTS: Of 3238 women enrolled, 12.6% and 7.2% of those with and without HIV had HBV, respectively (P = 0.01). Women with HIV, higher parity [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 0.68, P < 0.01], lower gestational age (aOR 1.04, P < 0.01) and without prior HBV vaccination (aOR 0.40, P < 0.01) were significantly more likely to have HBV infection. CONCLUSIONS: Among pregnant women, the prevalence of HBV was higher among those with HIV. Predictors of HBV included being multigravida or grand-multigravida, registration for antenatal care before 20 weeks of gestation, and no prior HBV vaccination. In settings with endemic HBV and HIV, integration of effective HBV and HIV prevention services could greatly decrease the transmission and prevalence of HBV.

The Rise and Fall of Female Sterilization in Jos, Nigeria: A Cause for Concern.

BACKGROUND: Female sterilization is a permanent form of contraception offered to women who have completed their family size. Other methods are all temporary and meant to be reversible. A high-quality female sterilization service was introduced in Jos with the assistance of training in counseling and minilaparotomy under local anesthesia in May 1985. After training, female sterilization became available for couples desiring it on completion of family size. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective study of all clients who had female sterilization for contraception between 1985 and 2019. The clinic register was retrieved and evaluated for acceptances of all contraceptive methods within the period and trends observed. RESULTS: Over the 35 years, a total of 29,167 new clients accepted modern family planning methods. Out of these, a total of 5167 were female sterilizations, constituting 17.7% of the new acceptors. The temporary methods of contraception constituted 82.3%. The other methods used were the intrauterine device 8357 (28.7%), the oral pills 5125 (17.6%), the injectables 5235 (17.9%), and the contraceptive implants 5283 (18.1%). Although female sterilization was 4th among the five methods studied, there was however a gradual decline in its acceptance from a peak of 36.1% in 1992 to 1.4% in the year 2018. CONCLUSION: The acceptance of female sterilization rose to a peak in 1992 and declined to the lowest level in 2018, occasioned in part by the introduction of varieties of contraceptive implants providing long acting, reversible, and cheap contraception.

Profile of congenital heart disease in infants born following exposure to preeclampsia.

BACKGROUND: Events in pregnancy play an important role in predisposing the newborn to the risk of developing CHD. This study evaluated the association between maternal preeclampsia and her offspring risk of CHD. METHODS: This is a cohort study of 90 sex-matched neonates (45 each born to women with preeclampsia and normal pregnancy) in Jos, Nigeria. Anthropometry was taken shortly after delivery using standard protocols. Echocardiography was performed within 24 hours of life and repeated 7 and 28 days later. SPSS version 25 was used in all analyses. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. RESULTS: Congenital heart disease (CHD) was observed in 27 (30.0%) of newborns of women with preeclampsia compared with 11 (12.1%) of newborns without preeclampsia (p<0.001) at the end of 7 days and in 19 (21.1%) of newborns of women with preeclampsia and 3 (3.3%) of newborns of women without preeclampsia by the end of the 4th week of life (p<0.001). Overall, ASD (4 newborns), PDA (21 newborns), patent foramen ovale (14 newborns) and VSD (2 newborns) were the prevalent lesions found among all the newborns studied in the first week of life. Isolated atrial and ventricular septal defects were seen in 4 (4.4%) of the newborns of women with preeclampsia. Being the infant of a woman with preeclampsia was associated with about 8-fold increased risk of having CHD (OR = 7.9, 95% CI = 2.5-24.9, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: CHD may be more common in newborns of women with preeclampsia underscoring the need for fetal and newborn screening for CHD in women with preeclampsia so as to improve their infant's well being.

HIV and development of epithelial cell abnormalities in women with prior normal cervical cytology in Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: HIV-associated cellular immune dysfunction has been linked to higher risk of cervical dysplasia and cancer in HIV infected women. We sought to understand the relationship between HIV and development of epithelial cell abnormalities (ECA) at follow-up in women with prior normal cervical cytology (NCC). METHODS: Retrospective cohort analysis of women who received a Pap test at the Operation Stop Cervical Cancer Unit in Jos, Nigeria over a 10-year period (2006-2016). We analyzed the data of women with NCC at first Pap who had at least one follow-up cytology result for time-to-detection of ECA. We determined follow-up time in years from date of first NCC to date of first ECA report or date of last NCC follow up report with censoring at last follow-up date or December 31st, 2016 whichever came first. The primary outcome was development of any ECA as defined by the Bethesda 2001 reporting system. We identified demographic and clinical factors associated with incident ECA using multivariable Cox regression. RESULTS: A total of 1599 women were eligible for this analysis. Overall, 3.7% (57/1556) of women reported being HIV infected. The median age at first Pap was 39 years (IQR; 33-45). The HIV infected women were younger (36.3 ± 8.1) compared to those uninfected (39.3 ± 6.6), p = 0.005. After an accrued follow-up time of 3809 person-years (PYs), 243 women (15%) had an ECA with an event rate of 6.38 per 100 PYs. Women ≥35 years at first Pap were more likely to have an ECA compared to those < 35 years (7.5 per 100 PYs vs 3.8 per 100 PYs, HR = 1.96; 95% CI: 1.4, 2.8). HIV status was not significantly associated with developing ECA in either unadjusted (7.4 per 100 PYs vs 6.4 per 100 PYs, HR = 1.17; 95% CI: 0.53, 2.3) or adjusted analyses (aHR = 1.78; 95% CI: 0.87, 3.65). CONCLUSION: Women living with HIV and on successful antiretroviral treatment may not have a differential hazard in the development of ECA during follow up after a prior normal Pap. Offering a repeat CCS to women who are 35 years or older irrespective of HIV status is likely an effective strategy in resource limited settings.

Prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection among pregnant women in Jos, Nigeria.

Objectives: The study sought to determine the prevalence and risk factors associated with Hepatitis B surface antigenemia (HBsAg) positivity among pregnant women in Jos, Nigeria. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study carried out among the pregnant population in five healthcare facilities in Jos, between November 1, 2017 and April 30, 2018. Informed consent was obtained, and data on sociodemographic and risk factors for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection were collected. Hepatitis B viral infection was assessed using the in vitro HBsAg diagnostic rapid kit (Acon Laboratories, USA). Descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, and logistic regression were performed to identify predictors of HBV infection in the study population. All statistical analyses were carried out on STATA version 15. Results: Of the 3,238 women enrolled, 7.4% (241/3238) (95% confidence interval [CI] = 6.6% to 8.4%) were HBsAg positive. The absence of HBV vaccination (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.49; 95% CI = 1.49-4.09; P < 0.001), co-infection with HIV (AOR = 1.90; 95% CI = 1.18-3.08; P = 0.009), and higher parity (AOR = 1.37; 95% CI = 1.04-1.79; P = 0.024) were independently associated with HBV infection in pregnancy. Conclusions: The prevalence of HBV infection among pregnant women was high, especially among those without prior vaccination for HBV, those with HIV co-infection and higher parity.

RésuméObjectifs: L'étude visait à déterminer la prévalence et les facteurs de risque associés à la positivité à l'antigénémie de surface de l'hépatite B (AgHBs) chez les femmes enceintes à Jos, Nigéria. Méthodologie: Il s'agit d'une étude transversale réalisée auprès de la population enceinte dans cinq dans les établissements de santé de Jos, entre le 1er novembre 2017 et le 30 avril 2018. Un consentement éclairé a été obtenu et des données sociodémographiques et des facteurs de risque d'infection par le virus de l'hépatite B (VHB) ont été collectés. L'infection virale de l'hépatite B a été évaluée à l'aide du diagnostic in vitro de l'HBsAg kit rapide (Acon Laboratories, USA). Des statistiques descriptives, un test du chi carré et une régression logistique ont été effectués pour identifier les prédicteurs de Infection par le VHB dans la population étudiée. Toutes les analyses statistiques ont été effectuées sur STATA version 15. Résultats: Sur les 3 238 femmes inscrites, 7,4% (241/3238) (intervalle de confiance à 95% [IC] = 6,6% à 8,4%) étaient positifs pour l'AgHBs. L'absence de vaccination contre le VHB (cotes ajustées rapport [AOR] = 2,49; IC à 95% = 1,49­4,09; P <0,001), co-infection par le VIH (AOR = 1,90; IC à 95% = 1,18­3,08; P = 0,009) et plus la parité (AOR = 1,37; IC à 95% = 1,04-1,79; P = 0,024) était indépendamment associée à l'infection par le VHB pendant la grossesse. Conclusions: le la prévalence de l'infection par le VHB était élevée chez les femmes enceintes, en particulier chez celles qui n'avaient pas été vaccinées contre le VHB, celles avec le VIH co-infection et parité plus élevée.

Incidence and risk factors for pre-eclampsia in Jos Nigeria.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to estimate the incidence and risk factors associated with development of pre-eclampsia (PET) in Jos, Nigeria. METHODS: An open cohort study of singleton pregnant women attending the antenatal clinic of Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), Nigeria between November 2010 and August 2011. Eligible healthy women at ≤ 20 weeks gestation were enrolled and followed up until delivery or development of pre-eclampsia. Baseline demographic characteristics including weight, height and body mass index (BMI) were collected at enrollment. Incidence, risk factors and hazard ratios for developing PET were estimated with corresponding 95% confidence intervals and p-values. All statistical analyses were done with STATA version 11, college station, Texas, USA. RESULTS: A total of 2416 pregnant women were screened for eligibility out of which 323 were eligible for inclusion. The incidence of PET was 87.9 per 1,000 pregnancies (8.8%). The significant risk factors for PET were previous history of PET (RR=5.1, 95% CI: 2.2-12.1) and BMI at booking ≥ 25 kg/m2 (RR=3.9, 95% CI: 1.5-10.0). CONCLUSION: The incidence of PET was relatively high in our cohort in Jos, Nigeria and a previous history of the disease and overweight or obese pregnant women have a significant hazard of developing the disease in the course of gestational follow up. Targeting women with these characteristics for early preventive intervention and close surveillance at the antenatal booking clinic may help in prevention of the disease and its complications.

Low Zika virus seroprevalence among pregnant women in North Central Nigeria, 2016.

BACKGROUND: Zika virus (ZIKV) has been known for decades in Africa but contemporary data is lacking at large. OBJECTIVES: To describe the seroepidemiology of ZIKV in North Central Nigeria. STUDY DESIGN: We performed a cross-sectional study at six health care facilities in North Central Nigeria from January to December 2016. Detection of ZIKV antibodies was done using an anti-ZIKV recombinant non-structural protein 1 (NS1)-based ELISA. A colorimetric assay to detect ZIKV neutralizing antibodies was used on ELISA reactive and randomly selected ELISA non-reactive samples. ZIKV real-time RT-PCR was done on a subset of samples. RESULTS: A total of 468 individual samples were included with almost 60% from pregnant women. Using NS1-based ELISA, an anti-ZIKV positive rate of 6% for IgM and 4% for IgG was found. Pregnant women showed anti-ZIKV positive rates of 4% for IgM and 3% for IgG. None of the ZIKV antibody positive samples tested ZIKV RT-PCR positive. An association with male sex was found for anti-ZIKV IgG ELISA positivity (prevalence ratio 3.49; 95% confidence interval: 1.48-8.25; p = .004). No association with pregnancy, yellow fever vaccination or malaria was found for anti-ZIKV IgM or IgG positivity. ZIKV neutralizing antibodies were detected in 17/18 (94%) anti-ZIKV NS1 positive/borderline samples and in one sample without detectable ZIKV NS1 antibodies. Partial ZIKV E gene sequence was retrieved in one sample without ZIKV antibodies, which clustered within the West African ZIKV lineage. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show a largely ZIKV immunologically naïve population and reinforce the importance of ZIKV surveillance in Africa.

Assessment of the vitamin B12 status of pregnant women in Nigeria using plasma holotranscobalamin.

Maternal vitamin B12 deficiency during pregnancy is an independent risk factor for neural tube defects and other neurological problems in infants. We determined the vitamin B12 status of 143 pregnant women in Nigeria representing all trimesters who presented to an antenatal clinic in Jos, Nigeria, using holotranscobalamin II levels (holoTCII), which is a measure of the vitamin B12 that is available for uptake into tissues. The holoTCII concentration ranged from 13 to 128 pmol/L. Using a cutoff of 40 pmol/L, 36% of the women were classified as vitamin B12-deficient. HoloTCII concentrations correlated negatively with plasma homocysteine levels (r = -0.24, P = 0.003) and positively with red blood cell folate concentrations (r = 0.28, P < 0.001). These data underscore the importance of supplementing pregnant women in Nigeria with vitamin B12 in order to ensure adequate vitamin B12 status and decrease the risk for neural tube defects.