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Background. Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a collection of cardiovascular risk factors comprising insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, obesity, and hypertension, which may cause further complications in diabetes. Although metabolic syndrome (MS) is increasing in incidence in diabetics and leading to significant cardiovascular diseases and mortality, there is dearth of data in Ghana. This study investigated metabolic syndrome, its prevalence, and its associated risk factors in type 2 diabetes at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana. Methods. The study involved 405 diabetic patients attending the Diabetic Clinic of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) Kumasi, in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. A well-structured questionnaire was used to obtain demographic background such as their age and gender. Anthropometric measurements were obtained using the Body Composition Monitor (Omron ® 500, Germany) which generated digital results on a screen and also by manual methods. Fasting venous blood was collected for the measurement of biochemical parameters comprising fasting plasma glucose (FPG), glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), and triglyceride (TG). Metabolic syndrome was defined according to the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP III). Results. Out of the total of 405 participants, 81 were males and 324 were females, and the estimated mean age was 58.5 ± 9.9 years. The female patients exhibited higher mean waist circumference (WC) and mean hip circumference (HC) as well as an approximately higher body mass index than males (28.3 ± 5.1, 26.5 ± 4.2 for the female and male respectively). Overall, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome observed among the study population was 90.6%. Conclusions. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome observed among the study population was 90.6%, with a higher percentage in females than males. High triglyceride levels and high waist circumference were the main risk factors for MS in the diabetic population.

Background and Aim: Malaria is known to be the most widespread tropical disease and a chief cause of morbidity and mortality in Africa. This study was conducted to determine some common complications of falciparum malaria in children, from the perspective of healthcare personnel in Kumasi, Ghana. Materials and Methods: This questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was carried out at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi, Ghana. The study population included health care professionals working at the children`s unit of the hospital. About 80 healthcare personnel were recruited to partake in the survey for eliciting views on malaria. Questionnaires were used to capture some symptoms and complications of malaria from the health workers’ point of view. Results: More than half of the healthcare personnel were males (52.5%), and majority of the participants were medical officers. The study participants elaborated on some common malaria symptoms among children. Fever recorded the highest frequency, represented by 98.8%, followed by general malaise (97.4%), nausea and vomiting (93.8%), chills (78.8%) and headaches (72.5%). Prostration (45.0%), hyperpyrexia (38.75%) and hypoglycemia (13.75%) were the most frequently reported complications by the respondents. Majority of the participants reported cerebral malaria (30.0%), severe anemia (23.75%), acute respiratory distress (17.5%) and repeated generalized convulsions (16.25%) to be the most lethal feature of complicated malaria infection in children. The overwhelming majority of the respondents (90.0%) use the WHO 2014 standard (page2) as guide for determining complicated malaria. Conclusion: Prostration with hyperpyrexia and hypoglycemia were the most common features of falciparum malaria from the perspective of healthcare personnel in Kumasi, Ghana.

Background:Malaria is one of the leading causes of mortality among children below 5 years of age in Ghana. This study aimed to determine the barriers affecting the management of malaria in children under 5 years in Manhyia hospital, Ghana. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in Manhyia hospital, Kumasi. Questionnaires were administered to 131 health workers as well as 132 guardians of the children below 5 years affected with malaria to obtain data including socio-demographic characteristics of the children, guardians and health workers, the knowledge and practices towards good management of malaria and the challenges faced by guardians and health workers in malaria management. Results:Majority of the infected children (38.6%) were between 1-6 months old. Route of drug administration (p=0.018) and those who were resistant to the action of the anti-malarial drugs (p Conclusion:constant supply of quality but affordable drugs and adequate supervision working synergistically will ensure appropriate management of malaria in children and in turn improve the quality of healthcare. Keywords:Malaria; Barriers; Drug; Anti-malaria; Management

Background: Although visceral fat (VF) and its influence on cardiovascular diseases have been extensively studied among diabetic patients, there is a need for an easier, and less expensive but equa...

Obesity and hypertension are public health problems associated with cardiovascular events worldwide. Bus drivers, whose lifestyle is primarily sedentary and characterized by poor eating habits are at increased risk. This study determined the prevalence and lifestyle-related risk factors of obesity and hypertension among Inter-Regional Metromass Bus Drivers (IRMBDs) in Ghana. This cross-sectional study recruited 527 professional drivers from Metromass Bus stations in Accra and Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana. Structured questionnaires were administered to obtain socio-demographic and lifestyle characteristics from all participants. Anthropometric measurements including body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and blood pressure (BP) were determined. The prevalence of unrecognized hypertension was 38.7%. The prevalence of obesity using BMI, WC, and WHR as obesity indices were 19.0%, 19.9%, and 19.4%, respectively. Use of sleep inhibitors, long-duration sitting and eating late at night were independent risk factors for obesity, regardless of the obesity index used (p < 0.05). Physical inactivity, high caloric intake and eating at stressful periods were independent risk factors for obesity based on WC and WHR measurements (p < 0.05). Ageing, smoking history, alcoholic beverage intake, sleep inhibitor drug use, high calorie intake, long-duration sitting, eating late and under stressful conditions were independent risk factors for hypertension (p < 0.05). There is a high prevalence of unrecognized hypertension and obesity among IRMBDs which were associated with individual lifestyle and behaviours. Increased awareness through educational and screening programs will trigger lifestyle modifications that will reduce cardio-metabolic disease onset and offer clues for better disease predictive, preventive and personalized medicine., Biological sciences; Biochemistry; Molecular biology; Health sciences; Clinical research; Public health; Obesity; Unrecognized hypertension; Lifestyle-related factors; Inter-regional; Bus drivers; Ghana-Africa

INTRODUCTION: Hepatitis-B Virus (HBV) is endemic in Ghana and mother-to-child transmission has been adjudged the common contributing factor. Therefore, this study examined factors associated with the knowledge, attitude, and practice of pregnant women towards HBV infection within the Kumasi Metropolis. METHODS: a hospital-based cross-sectional study design with a multistage random sampling was used to select 362 pregnant women from four major health facilities; Suntreso, Tafo, Manhyia and Kumasi South hospitals in the Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana. The pregnant women were made to complete a structured questionnaire composed of socio-demographic characteristics, as well as questions on knowledge, attitude and practices on HBV infection. RESULTS: majority of the pregnant women 314/362 (86.7%) had adequate knowledge of HBV infections. Also, 236/362 (65.2%) of them had positive attitudes whereas 217/362 (~60%) had good practices towards HBV infections. Respondents with no formal education were less likely to have adequate knowledge of HBV infection (OR (95% CI): 0.27 (0.11-0.65)), whereas pregnant women with tertiary education were 5.8 times more likely to have adequate knowledge on HBV (p-value 0.05). CONCLUSION: pregnant women in the Kumasi Metropolis have adequate knowledge of HBV infection and its transmission mechanisms, but do not translate this into practice (do not adhere to preventive practices).

Objective The association between unbalanced iron indices and the conditions of schizophrenia are not well understood. Liver dysfunction which has been linked to iron metabolism might be a contributing factor. This case–control study evaluated serum iron indices and liver function in treatment-naïve schizophrenia patients and those already on treatment at the Psychiatric Department of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Kumasi-Ghana. Results The mean age of the respondents was 39.6 ± 0.8 years. Increased levels of serum iron, TS, AST, ALT and AST:ALT ratio and lower levels of UIBC, TIBC, Transferrin, and log Ferritin:AST ratio levels were observed among the treatment-naïve group compared to the control. The treatment-naïve and treatment groups showed significantly higher serum AST:ALT ratio, and lower log10ferrtin:AST ratio than the healthy controls. There was a significant correlation between log10ferritin and AST, and log10ferritin and GGT in both treatments (r = 0.343; p = 0.003, and r = 0.502; p = 0.001 respectively) and treatment-naïve groups (r = 0.348; p = 0.002, and r = 0.614; p

Additional file 1: Table S1. Partial Pearson correlation between Iron markers and liver function markers among study participants.

Introduction. Malaria is a leading cause of mortality among children below 5 years in Ghana. Its parasites are known to cause the degradation of hemoglobin, resulting in the production of reactive oxygen species and hence oxidant stress. Therefore, this study was carried out to compare the levels of oxidative stress between children with complicated and uncomplicated malaria infection in Kumasi, Ghana. Method. Subjects were recruited from hospitals in the Kumasi Metropolis. This was a cross-sectional study, involving 17 complicated malaria subjects, 51 uncomplicated malaria subjects, and 15 nonparasitemic subjects. The rapid diagnostic test (RDT) was used to determine presence or absence of falciparum malaria among the study participants. Blood samples from subjects were used to determine hemoglobin, malondialdehyde (MDA), and vitamin C levels. Results. Majority of the subjects (67.5%) were within the age of 0-5 years. The mean age (±SD) of uncomplicated malaria subjects was 4.32 (±2.81) years, while that of complicated malaria was 4.27 (±2.96). Mean levels of HB decreased significantly in the following order: control subjects > uncomplicated malaria subjects > complicated malaria subjects (p uncomplicated malaria > complicated malaria subjects. However, for the complicated malaria cases, there were significantly higher mean vitamin C levels in females than in males (p Conclusion. Malaria progression increases MDA levels and decreases the ascorbate (vitamin C) and hemoglobin levels. It is recommended that future studies should investigate changes in other antioxidant vitamins, like vitamins A and E.

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is associated with progressive multi-organ failure especially, the brain and kidney and leads to high morbidity and mortality rate. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of renal abnormalities among children with SCD. This cross-sectional study recruited 212 sickling positive patients comprising of 96 Hb AS, 48 Hb SC, and 68 Hb SS phenotypes from the Pediatric Unit of Wassa Akropong Government Hospital, Wassa Akropong, Ghana. Early morning urine and venous blood samples were collected from each participant. Urinalysis was conducted and serum urea and creatinine levels were estimated. Estimate glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was calculated using the Swartz equation. Classification of chronic kidney disease (CKD) was based on ‘The Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KIDIGO)’ criteria. The mean age of the children were 7.90 years. Serum creatinine (p = 0.0310) and urea (p

Background: Asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) poses serious future clinical repercussions for reproductive women. The study determined the prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria along with anti-microbial susceptibility patterns among women of reproductive age in a primary care facility. Method: The study recruited a total of 300 women of reproductive age attending the Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Hospital at Akuapem-Mampong, Ghana, between January and March 2018. Questionnaires were administered to obtain demographic data and predisposing risk factors of ASB. An early-morning midstream urine sample was collected from participants. Urinalysis, urine culture, and anti-microbial susceptibility testing were performed. Results: The mean age of participants was 25.43 years. The overall prevalence rate of ASB was 40.3%. The prevalence was higher among pregnant women compared to non-pregnant women (33.3% vs 7.0%). The most common bacterial isolate was E. coli (47.0%) followed by Proteus spp. (36.4%), Klebsiella spp. (8.3%), and E. faecalis (8.3%). Leukocyturia (35.0%) followed by nitrate (30.0%) were the most common urine abnormalities identified on dipstick urinalysis. Most bacteria isolates showed increased resistance to ampicillin (95.04%) and tetracycline (95.04%) while most of the bacterial isolates were sensitive to levofloxacin (94.35%). Demographic characteristics including age (p &lt, 0.001), educational level (p &lt, 0.001), residency (p = 0.001), and marital status (p = 0.005) were significantly associated with ASB. Lifestyle characteristics such as sexual status (p = 0.001) and frequency of washing of intimate parts after sexual intercourse (p &lt, 0.001) were also significantly associated with ASB. Conclusion: Asymptomatic bacteriuria, particularly E. coli and Proteus spp. are prevalent in the urine of pregnant women living in Akuapem-Mampong municipality. Hence public education along with early screening of ASB is essential to reducing future risk of reproductive health complications. Future studies are required to assess the impact of public health on the rate of bacterial infections.

We evaluated the individual and combined levels of urine dipstick and total lymphocyte count (TLC) as surrogate markers for CD4 count in a low-resource community in Ghana. This cross-sectional study recruited 200 HIV-infected patients from the Saint Francis Xavier Hospital, Assin Fosu, Ghana. Complete blood count, CD4 count, and urine dipstick analysis were measured for participants. The threshold values were determined as μl for CD4, μl for TLC, and ≥+ on urine dipstick analysis. The mean age of participants was 43.09 years. Proteinuria ≥ + [aOR = 4.30 (3.0–18.5)], leukocyturia ≥ + [aOR = 2.91 (1.33–12.5)], hematuria ≥ + [aOR = 2.30 (1.08–9.64)], and TLC μl [aOR = 3.26 (3.94–15.29)] were significantly associated with increased risk of CD4 count μl. Using the individual markers, the best substitute marker for predicting CD4 count μl was proteinuria at a cutoff point ≥ 2++, AUC of 0.973, sensitivity of 97.6%, specificity of 100.0%, PPV of 100.0%, and NPV of 89.1%. A combination of ≤ 1200 TLC + ≥ 2++ (leukocyturia + proteinuria + hematuria) yielded an AUC of 0.980, sensitivity (72.8%), specificity (100.0%), PPV (100.0%), and NPV (97.9%). Proteinuria could serve as a noninvasive screening tool, but the combination of proteinuria, leukocyturia, hematuria, and TLC serves as a better substitute marker for CD4 count in monitoring the disease progression among HIV patients in low-resource communities.