Attitude of postpartum women towards multiple postnatal clinic schedule in south-west Nigeria

Background

The postnatal period is a critical in the lives of mothers and babies due to the risk of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. According to the Nigeria Demographic Health Survey 2018, only 38 % of women and 42;% of newborns received a postnatal check in the first 2 days after birth. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that postpartum women should have contact with healthcare providers within 24 h, at day 3, days 10-14 and 6 weeks post-delivery. Multiple postnatal clinic (PNC) visits will allow assessment and prompt treatment of complications arising from delivery. This study assessed the attitude of postpartum women towards multiple PNC schedule.

Methods

This descriptive cross-sectional study assessed the attitude of postpartum women towards multiple PNC schedules. A total of 167 respondents participated in the study and data was collected using a semi-structured interviewer administered questionnaire. Information on awareness, knowledge and purpose of postnatal care, preference for multiple schedules and the timing of postnatal care visits were obtained. Data was analysed using IBM SPSS version 23; and the level of significance was set at p < 0.05.

Results

Of the respondents, 71.9 % had poor or incorrect knowledge. About 87.4 % perceived PNC as beneficial; and that mothers and newborns should be seen at least three times (47.9 %) in the postnatal period. A high proportion of women were willing to come for PNC on day 3 (74.3 %), days 10-14 (86.2 %) and six weeks postpartum (91.6 %). Also, 69.5 % were willing to come for multiple PNC visits. Parity was significantly associated with willingness to attend multiple PNC visits.

Conclusion

Despite suboptimal knowledge of the components of postnatal care services, postpartum women have a good attitude to postnatal care and are willing to attend scheduled and multiple PNC schedules. However, fewer women wanted the multiple PNC schedules. Health education and quality postnatal care will enhance postpartum surveillance with prompt detection and treatment of maternal and neonatal complications to forestall life-threatening complications or mortality.

Anemia in pregnancy at two levels of health care in Ibadan, south west Nigeria

BACKGROUND

In Africa, anemia in pregnancy contributes to non-attainment of the MDG goals 4 and 5. This study examined the prevalence and some risk factors for anemia at two levels of health care in the Ibadan metropolis.

METHODS

This was a retrospective study of the booking records of pregnant women at the University College Hospital (UCH, a profit-making tertiary institution) and Adeoyo Maternity Hospital (AMH, a secondary level institution offering free services) in Ibadan, September 1, 2008 to December 31, 2008. Eligible women had singleton pregnancies and no known chronic illnesses. Anemia was defined as packed cell volume (PCV) < 30%, and degrees of anemia as mild (PCV 27-29%), moderate (PCV 19-26%), and severe (PCV below 19%). Statistical analysis was done by the Chi-square test, Fisher exact test, and t-test. A P value of < 0.05 was considered significant.

RESULTS

Data from 2702 women (384 and 2318 from UCH and AMH, respectively) were available for analysis. About 30% of the women were anemic. The patients in UCH had higher mean PCV (33.03 ± 4.32 vs. 31. 04 ± 4.09, P = 0.00). A higher proportion of anemia was seen in patients presenting in Adeoyo (32.4% vs. 16.7%, P = 0.00). Factors associated with anemia included young age (P = 0.00), low parity (P = 0.00), and hospital type (P = 0.00). Parity and hospital type remained significant on logistic regression.

CONCLUSION

Lower prevalence of anemia at the tertiary hospital maybe attributed to the higher socioeconomic status of the clientele. Short-term early antenatal management of anemia and long-term economic/educational empowerment is advocated.

Risk of anaemia in HIV positive pregnant women in Ibadan, south west Nigeria

Anaemia in pregnancy is an important cause of maternal and neonatal mortality. It is a recognized co-morbidity of HIV infection. This study aimed to determine the risk of anaemia in HIV positive pregnant women.

METHODOLOGY

This is a cross sectional study of healthy pregnant women attending Adeoyo Hospital, a secondary health centre in South-western Nigeria over a 1-month period (January 2007). During the study period, 2737 eligible women presented for antenatal care. About 98% (2682) of these women consented to HIV testing. Over all, their mean (+ S.D) packed cell volume was 30.96% (+/- 4.13). The prevalence of HIV infection was 2.9% (95% CI 2.3% - 3.6%) and the overall prevalence of anaemia was 33.1%. Frequency of anaemia was significantly higher in HIV +ve women (57.3% vs. 42.7%, p = 0.00. OR = 2.81., CI = 1.72-4.58). HIV +ve women presented more frequently with moderate or severe anaemia. In the logistic regression analysis only HIV infection (OR = 2.4, 95% CI = 1.37-4.21) and primigravidity (OR = 1.25, 95% CI = 1.04-15.2) remained independently associated with anemia. Anaemia is common in HIV positive pregnant women in this environment. Care providers must endeavor to determine the HIV status of every pregnant woman especially if she presents with anaemia with a view to providing appropriate interventions.

Human immuno-deficiency virus and hepatitis B virus coinfection in pregnancy at the University College Hospital, Ibadan

Human Immuno-deficiency virus (HIV) and Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) share common modes of transmission which include blood borne and the vertical routes. Although, the natural course of HIV does not appear altered by HBV, the rate of liver-related deaths is several times higher among HIV/HBV co-infected persons. Clinicians providing care for HIV positive individuals, including pregnant women, need to be aware of this problem. This is a 2-year cross-sectional study that commenced in January 2006, among HIV positive pregnant women seen at the University College Hospital, Ibadan. During the study period, 721 HIV positive pregnant women were screened for hepatitis B virus infection. Sixty-four women (8.9%) were positive for HBsAg, 14(1.9%) were HCV positive and 642 (89.2%) were negative for both HBV and HCV. One patient was positive forboth HBV and HCV. There were no remarkable differences between HIV infected and HIV-HBV coinfected patients in terms of the hematological, albumin and bilirubin measurements. Alanine transaminase was however higher in the HIV-HBV co-infected patients than HIV patients and this was statistically significant (17.5 iu/ ml vs. 15.0 iu/ml, p value--0.009). In addition, the CD4 cell count was lower and the viral load marginally higher in the hepatitis B virus positive patients. The differences were however not statistically significant (p value--0.114 and 0.644 respectively). HIV-HBV co-infection in HIV positive pregnant women is not of negligible proportions as demonstrated in this study. Thus, HIV positive pregnant women should be screened for HBV and assisted to access care targeted at preventing morbidity and vertical transmission.

Routine antenatal syphilis screening in South west Nigeria- a questionable practice

BACKGROUND

Untreated maternal syphilis is strongly associated with adverse birth outcomes, especially in women with high titre syphilis. The WHO recommends routine serological screening in pregnancy. Some workers have advised a reappraisal of this practice, having demonstrated low sero-prevalence in their antenatal population. In view of this, the aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of syphilis in the antenatal population presenting at a major hospital in south-west Nigeria.

METHODS

This was a cross sectional study of healthy pregnant Nigerian women attending Adeoyo Maternity Hospital in the capital of Oyo State. The case record of every pregnant woman presenting for their first antenatal clinic visit over a 4-month period (September 1st to December 31st 2006) was reviewed.

RESULTS

During the study period, two thousand six hundred and seventy-eight women sought antenatal care. Three hundred and sixty-nine women (369; 13.4%) had incomplete records and were excluded from analysis. The records of the 2,318(86.6%) women with adequate records were subsequently reviewed. The mean age of the women was 27.4 years (± 5.34) and the mean gestational age 26.4 weeks (±6.36). The modal parity was 0. Only three patients were found to be reactive for syphilis giving a prevalence of 0.13%.

CONCLUSION

The sero- prevalence value in this study is quite low and may justify the call to discontinue routine antenatal syphilis screening. However, a more rigorous screening program using diagnostic tests with higher sensitivity maybe necessary before jettisoning this traditional aspect of antenatal care.

Service uptake and performance of the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) programme in Ibadan, Nigeria

The Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) programme in the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan has been in existence for more than five years and has scaled up to other sites. The study evaluated the service uptake and performance of the programme using national key indicators. Antenatal and delivery records of women enrolled between July 2002 and June 2007 were reviewed. A total of 51952 women attended first antenatal visits and received HIV pre-test counselling. Of these, 51614 (99.5%) accepted HIV test and 49134 (95.2%) returned for their results. Out of the tested patients, 2152 (4.2%) were identified to be HIV positive. Partners of positive patients accepting HIV testing were 361 (16.7%) with 87 (18.6%) testing positive. There were a total of 942 deliveries out of which 39.2% of the mothers and 95.2% of the babies respectively received ARV prophylaxis. In all, 85.8% (788/918) of the mothers opted for formula as the method of infant feeding. Out of the 303 babies eligible for ELISA testing, 68.3% reported for the test and 17 (8.7%) tested positive. There has been progress in the programme, reflected in the increase in the number of new clients accessing the PMTCT service. However, partner testing and follow up of mother-infant pairs remain formidable challenges that deserve special attention.

Anaesthetic considerations for the hiv positive parturient

The HIV epidemic in children parallels that among women on account of perinatal transmission. A combination of antiretroviral therapy and elective caesarean section reduces the rate of vertical transmission to <2%. Elective caesarean section independent of antiretroviral therapy decreases the risk of HIV vertical transmission from mother to baby. However, a caesarean section is a major surgical intervention that has well-reported complications. Women infected with HIV have been reported to be more susceptible to such complications. The multi-organ nature of HIV poses challenges at the time of surgery and anesthesia. Preoperative evaluation will allow a good prediction for the perioperative risk of the HIV-patient. The anesthesiologist should be aware of the possible toxic side effects or the possible interaction of antiretroviral drugs with the anesthetics. Some of these adverse effects may mimic signs and symptoms of the HIV disease itself. Regional anesthesia has been shown to be associated with reduced morbidity and mortality in a wide range of patients, including HIV positive parturients. Finally, the possibility of transmission in the health care setting highlights the need for anesthetists to enforce rigorous infection control policies to protect themselves, other health workers and their patients.

Clinicopathological and therapeutic patterns of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in Kuwait: a prospective study

Though common, the exact incidence and clinical pattern of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in Gulf countries are not known. The results of a four-year prospective study undertaken in two tertiary hospitals in Kuwait are presented. The mean age at diagnosis of the 52 patients studied was 55.40 +/- 11.87 years. Thirty-two (61.5%) patients were male and 22 (42.3%) were smokers. The mean duration of symptoms at diagnosis was 2.1 +/- 0.92 years. Digital clubbing was found in 34 (65%) patients. The mean FVC, TLC and TLCO were 57%, 64.4% and 55% of predicted normal, respectively. The FVC value showed a significant difference between smokers and non-smokers (p < 0.05). HRCT findings were abnormal in all patients. Typical histological and high-resolution computed tomography findings of usual interstitial pneumonia, desquamative interstitial pneumonia and non-specific interstitial pneumonia were observed. This study revealed that IPF is prevalent in Kuwait, with patterns showing some similarities to those established elsewhere. The response to treatment was not encouraging, especially in the usual interstitial pneumonia subtype.