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Biomedical subjects

C Chukwuma

Publications and source records attributed to C Chukwuma.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

Obstetric performance of ethnic Kosovo Albanian asylum seekers in London: a case-control study.

The most recent Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths expressed concern that mortality in women from non-English-speaking ethnic groups was twice that of native-born women. There are very few published data on the obstetric performance of Kosovo Albanian refugees who have relocated to the United Kingdom and the aim of this study was to compare the obstetric performances of Kosovo Albanian women currently residing in the United Kingdom with their British-born Caucasian counterparts. Sixty-one index and 61 control cases were analysed; 63% of the Kosovo Albanian women spoke little or no English and 50% were on income support. Of the study group, 9.8% had caesarean sections, 8.2% had instrumental vaginal deliveries and 82% achieved normal deliveries. The Kosovo Albanian women were statistically younger and had shorter duration of labour compared to controls (P < 0.05, unpaired t-test). Epidural use was significantly lower in Kosovan women (P < 0.05, chi2 test). The rates of induction of labour (IOL), caesarean section, instrumental deliveries, premature delivery and low birth weight < 2.5 kg were not statistically different (P > 0.05 in all cases, chi2 test) between the two groups. This is the first study to examine the obstetric outcomes of Kosovo Albanian women who have resettled in a western European country. Most Kosovo Albanian refugees living in the United Kingdom are not socio-economic migrants but displaced due to civil unrest and many had reasonable socio-economic status prior to resettlement. The similarity in obstetric and fetal outcomes between the study and control groups could be attributed to the 'healthy immigrant effect', where immigrant groups appear to have better outcomes due to family support and relatively lower intake of alcohol and nicotine. It also suggests that obstetricians may be heeding the recommendations from recent Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths, which highlight the need for increased vigilance in women from ethnic minorities.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

The 'thrifty' hypotheses: clinical and epidemiological significance for non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease risk factors.

In recent decades incidence of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus has increased to epidemic proportions in several traditional populations due to changes in their lifestyles from those of hunters, gatherers and subsistence agriculturists to a contemporary pattern whose central features are sedentary occupations and high-energy fuel resources. As a result, non-infectious perturbations such as non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases emerge as the major causes of morbidity and mortality both in developing and in developed nations. Currently, the highest non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus prevalences are found in populations that have undergone rapid alterations in lifestyle, such as Australian Aborigines, native Americans, Pacific islanders and some migrant populations like the Asian Indians. This review focuses on non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus as a prime instance of the 'thrifty genotype' and its interrelationship with glucose intolerance as a prime risk factor for cardiovascular diseases including hypertension, dyslipidaemia and hyperinsulinaemia. An alternative hypothesis, namely the 'thrifty phenotype' hypothesis, challenging the genotype hypothesis is hereby presented. The review is presented to provide insight for clinical application of these hypotheses in future studies concerning the prevention and intervention strategy of non-communicable disorders. A comprehensive application of these strategies would be beneficial to researchers, clinicians and patients.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Microsporidium in AIDS patients: a perspective.

Microsporidia are ubiquitous, obligate intracellular protozoan parasites increasingly detected as opportunistic pathogens in AIDS patients. These parasites have been associated with chronic diarrhoea, hepatitis, cholangitis, pancreatitis, enteritis, keratoconjunctivitis, and peritonitis in either homosexuals or heterosexuals. Optimum diagnostic and therapeutic measures of these pathogens still elude both clinicians and researchers. Further study is required to elucidate the exact prevalence and clinical characteristics of microsporidia.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed1995

A comparative study of cadmium, lead, zinc, pH, and bulk density from the Enyigba lead and zinc mine in two different seasons.

Soil pH and bulk density, as well as the concentrations of cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) in soils and these metal levels in the leaves of cassava (Manihot esculenta) and rice (Oryza sativa), both collected, respectively, in the dry season (December) of 1991 and the rainy season (September) of 1992 from the Enyigba lead and zinc mine, Nigeria, were investigated. Interspecific variations in trace element levels in the plant leaves were detected and may reflect the predilection of these plants to particular elements rather than their variability being due to different climatic conditions, such as precipitation, or other environmental factors.

Cadmium↗
PubMed1994

Health concepts, issues, and experience in the Abakaliki area, Nigeria.

Environmental health problems are increasingly receiving global attention. The health of entire nations may not only be affected by adverse environmental conditions, but by nutritional deficiencies that lead to morbidity and mortality. The type and extent of adverse health effects in a population depend on the potential for exposure to some environmental factors and pathogens as well as other environmental variables like industrialization, sanitation conditions, and urbanization. National and international comparisons between health status indicators can reveal the extent of any differences that exist, including dynamic changes in prevailing environmental conditions which may be helpful in characterizing the role of specific risk factors. Improvements in collection of environmental data related to health can help to identify, control, and eliminate many of the factors that are associated with environmental risk in the Abakaliki area of eastern Nigeria.

Delivery of Health Care↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Comments on the clinical impact of hypertension in type I diabetes.

In type I diabetes, the quality of life and, in essence, the long-term prognosis or life expectancy of the patient are invariably related to the manifestation of untoward complications. Increased arterial blood pressure (hypertension) has a great influence in these complications. Cumulative evidence has shown that proteinuric type I diabetic patients are easily susceptible to hypertension and its accompanying sequelae. The debilitating effects of hypertension on the progressive development of diabetic nephropathy leading to renal dysfunction and mortality in renal transplant patients have been documented. Proliferative retinopathy and cardiovascular lesions are also frequent devastating complications in hypertensive-diabetic patients. The mechanism of sodium/lithium countertransport activity and the genetic predisposition to hypertension require further elucidation.

Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Type I diabetic nephropathy: clinical characteristics and economic impact.

Approximately one-third of type I diabetic patients develop diabetic nephropathy with confounding pathogenesis--frequently manifested as heavy persistent proteinuria, fall in glomerular filtration rate, and increased arterial hypertension. There is increasing incidence and prevalence of type I diabetes, particularly in northern Europe and the United States. Increased morbidity and mortality occur in type I diabetic patients with renal disease. Among type I patients with persistent proteinuria, death occurs on the average within 5-10 years. The economic impact of endstage renal disease due to diabetic nephropathy is overwhelming, and the cost is increasing at an alarming rate.

Cost of Illness↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Type II diabetic nephropathy in perspective.

The magnitude of type II diabetic nephropathy dilemma is observable in the growing number of diabetic patients with end-stage renal lesion receiving various modalities of treatment. Progressive glomerulopathy associated with proteinuria and hypertension is strongly causative of renal failure and mortality in diabetic patients. Besides hypertension, diabetes exceeds all other glomerulopathies in causing end-stage renal failure. Alterations in glomerular structure and function observed in diabetic patients are implicated in the development and progression of renal derangement. Diabetic glomerulosclerosis, an aggregate of structural and functional perturbations of the kidney, is indicated by alterations in the accumulation of extracellular matrix components, The pathology, epidemiology, risk factors, and other dependent variables may throw some light in the pathogenetic mechanisms and the prevention, treatment, and management modalities of type II diabetic nephropathy.

Blood Glucose↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Diabetes and the risk of stroke.

Diabetes is an important risk factor for the development of ischemic cerebrovascular disease or stroke. Diabetic patients are more susceptible to atherothromboembolic brain infarction and its consequent mortality than nondiabetic patients. Cerebrovascular disease in the diabetic population somewhat follows the same pattern as in the nondiabetic population, however, with greater severity in outcome for the former. The etiopathogenetic mechanisms of strokes and transient ischemic attacks in diabetic patients are apparently due to cerebral hemodynamic and vascular derangements, hyperglycemia, and other related risk factors. There is a great disparity in the wider information on coronary heart disease and stroke than on diabetes and stroke. A better understanding is required for the determinants of stroke and diabetes, and the epidemiology and pathophysiology of specific risk factors in different racial groups. There is a similarity in the evaluation, assessment, and management of diabetic and nondiabetic patients.

Aged↗