African health sciences
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African health sciences · Dec 2013
Causes and outcome of hospitalization among HIV-infected adults receiving antiretroviral therapy in Mulago hospital, Uganda.
Cohorts describing cause specific mortality in HIV-infected patients initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) operate on an outpatient basis. Hospitalized patients represent the spectrum and burden of severe morbidity and mortality in patients on ART. ⋯ Opportunistic infections, malignancy and AZT-associated anemia contributed to most hospitalizations and mortality. It is important to intensify prevention, screening, and treatment for these opportunistic diseases and early ART initiation in HIV-infected patients. Tenofovir-based regimens, unless contraindicated should be scaled up to replace AZT-based regimens as first line ART drugs.
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African health sciences · Dec 2013
Comparative StudyThe effects of maternal haemoglobin as an indicator of maternal nutritional status on, maternal measles antibodies of mother-infant pairs at birth.
Maternal measles antibodies (MMA) are actively transferred through the placenta from mother to foetus. A relationship could exist between MMA of mother-infant pairs and maternal nutritional indicator (haemoglobin). ⋯ There was a significant association between aacceptable levels of maternal Hb and high MMA of the newborn-infants. Therefore, these newborn infants start out with higher MMA that could give them better protection against measles during infancy.
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African health sciences · Dec 2013
Compliance with iron-folic acid (IFA) therapy among pregnant women in an urban area of south India.
Anaemia is highly prevalent among pregnant women and iron deficiency is the most important cause. Like many other countries, India has policies to give pregnant women iron supplements. Non-compliance is one important challenging factor in combating anaemia. ⋯ There was a moderate level of compliance towards IFA tablets with key social and demographic factors playing an important role.
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Presbycusis is the most common sensory impairment associated with ageing and it presents with variability of symptoms. Physicians need to recognize early clinical and audiometric signs of presbycusis in order to render adequate and quality care to patients and reduce associated morbidities. ⋯ We found hearing impairment affected both speech and higher frequencies and the strial type of audiometric pattern was most common. The need for screening for hearing impairment from early middle age in symptomatic individuals is emphasized.