Factors Influencing Medication Adherence Among Patients with Diabetes Mellitus and Hypertension in Nigeria (Published)
Medication non-adherence results in increased morbidity, mortality and financial loss. Reasons for medication non-adherence are multifactorial. This cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence of, and factors contributing to medication non-adherence among patients with diabetes mellitus and hypertension attending some secondary and tertiary health care facilities in Lagos, Nigeria. Of the 100 patients, 32% were compliant with their medications. Most (39%) respondents were noncompliant because of lack of funds and cost of medication, 19% due to forgetfulness, 16% because they felt well, and 15% due to non-availability of drugs at the pharmacy. Other reasons for non-compliance include illnesses (9%), side effects of medications (1%) and misinterpretation of prescription (1%). Among the socio-demographic variables studied, only male gender was positively associated with medication compliance. Adherence to anti-diabetics and anti-hypertensives was low. Both health system and patients’ related issues contributed to poor compliance and these should be addressed to improve medication adherence.
Keywords: Adherence, Diabetes Mellitus, Hypertension, Nigeria
Neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 Antibody response to 1st dose of AstraZeneca-Oxford AZD1222 Vaccine Among Health Workers in North-Central, Nigeria (Published)
Speed is an effective catalyst that can differentiate a time of war from other times. Thus, in a global record time of 11 months, the leading COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers completed the first COVID-19 vaccines. However, curbing the epidemic of anti-vaxxers has not been so easy globally. The world, particularly, in Africa has been largely influenced by the myths and conspiracy theories dissuading the public from accepting COVID-19 vaccination as the most effective response against the pandemic. Hesitancy remains the status quo of many Africans to the innovation.This study is centred on findings from a multi-centre study in Ilorin located in North Central, Nigeria among 92 Health Workers (HCWs). The primary objective of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of the first dose of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine. The blood samples of 92 health workers who received their first AstraZeneca-Oxford AZD1222 vaccination dose between March and April 2021 were taken to determine their antibody responses with the hope to ascertain vaccine effectiveness and also to serve as a means of encouragement to Africans in a hope to allay their fears. The overall goal of the study is to provide a scientific basis for advocacy of vaccination in Africa.This study is limited to single dose and owing to scare resources, blood samples were ran once using the cPass kit which is designed based wildtype S protein Receptor Binding Protein (RBD). As a secondary objective, the researchers evaluated but found no association between the level of neutralizing antibodies generated by this first dose and the demographics or the clinical characteristics of the participants. The demographics considered include age (p > 0.05), Gender (p > 0.05) and BMI (p > 0.05). Existing comorbidities of interest in the study were hypertension (p > 0.05), diabetes (p > 0.05) and drug misuse (p >0.05).The study revealed that over 81.5% of the vaccinated study participants mounted a strong neutralizing antibody response to their first vaccine dose, while only about 11% of the study participants had a weak antibody response.
Citation Aisha F. Lawal, Mohammad A. Obeid , Chinedu Egejuru, Adeola Adefioye, Adedapo Adesokan, (2022) Neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 Antibody response to 1st dose of AstraZeneca-Oxford AZD1222 Vaccine Among Health Workers in North-Central, Nigeria, International Journal of Dentistry, Diabetes, Endocrinology and Oral Hygiene, Vol. 4, No,1, pp, 15-24
Keywords: AstraZeneca-Oxford AZD1222 Vaccine, Health Workers, Neutralizing Antibodies, Nigeria, SARS-CoV-2