Sex and reproduction among HIV-infected people in Maiduguri, Nigeria.

For HIV-infected people, prevention of transmission of the virus to their spouses and other sexual partners can only be achieved through abstinence and safer sex practices using condoms. New drugs and technologies are now available that can prevent vertical transmission of the virus. A total of 262 people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) were interviewed to explore their sexual and reproductive desires and practices. About 75.6% of them were sexually active and 62.2% never used condoms. Although only 26.3% had no living child, the majority of these (71.4%) wanted to have children. Their knowledge of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and how to prevent it was good. PLWHA engage in unprotected sexual intercourse with the desire to have more children. It is expected that more paediatric HIV infections will be seen in the future in a poor-resource setting like ours.     

Hydrophilic acrylic intraocular lens exchange: Five-year experience

PURPOSE: To evaluate clinical outcomes of opacified SC60B-0UV intraocular lens (IOL) (MDR, Inc.) and clear SC60B-0UV IOL exchange. SETTING: Department of Ophthalmology, Queen's Hospital, Burton-on-Trent, United Kingdom. METHODS: In a prospective audit, 149 patients with 152 SC60B-0UV hydrophilic acrylic IOLs were monitored over 5 years. Perioperative complications were evaluated. The best spectacle-corrected visual acuity, subjective quality of vision, and VF-14 scores were compared preoperatively and postoperatively. RESULTS: Ninety-eight IOLs developed opacification; 52 IOLs were exchanged between February 1999 and October 2004. The lens exchange procedure was uneventful in 39 eyes (75%). Perioperative complications included zonular dehiscence and posterior capsule rupture in 12 eyes (23.1%), total capsule-IOL extraction in 4 eyes (7.7%), iridodialysis in 3 eyes (5.8%), hyphema in 2 eyes (3.8%), and retained haptics in 5 eyes (9.6%). The mean logMAR visual acuity and mean VF-14 scores improved significantly after IOL exchange (P < .01). Forty-seven patients (90.4%) reported improvement in the subjective quality of vision after IOL exchange. However, after the exchange, visual acuity worsened in 5 patients (9.6%) and subjective quality of vision worsened in 3 patients (5.8%); the VF-14 scores decreased in 5 (14.7%) of the 34 patients tested. CONCLUSIONS: Visual function and quality of life were better after IOL exchange. However, poor outcomes in some patients mandate an extensive informed consent procedure for clear IOL exchange.     

Cervical dysplasia in HIV infected women in Maiduguri, Nigeria.

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection has been shown to be a risk factor for premalignant and malignant conditions of the cervix. Patients attending the gynaecological clinic of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital received voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) for HIV. All patients who were screened for HIV also had their pap smear taken. Cervical dysplasia was significantly commoner among HIV infected women than those that were HIV negative (31.3% vs 7.8%, respectively). The incidence of cervical dysplasia was also proportional to the degree of immunosuppression as women with low CD4 count had higher incidence of cervical dysplasia. The population studied was generally promiscuous irrespective of their HIV status, with over 90% of them having multiple sexual partners. It is recommended that health education in this population should be aimed at discouraging multiple sexual partners. Gynaecologists should be co-care providers to all HIV+ women in view of the menace of cervical dysplasia.