Browsing by Author "Kiconco, Ritah"

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    Health Education is a Key Pillar in Reducing Prevalence of Typhoid among Febrile Patients in Peri-Urban Western Uganda: A Cross-Sectional Study
    (International Journal of Scientific Study, 2017) Kiwungulo, Benard; Pius, Theophillus; Nabaasa, Saphurah; Kiconco, Ritah; Amanya, Geofrey; Amongi, Christine; Tamale, Andrew; Ruhinda, Nathan; Blessing, Yashim J. S.; Atuheire, Collins
    Typhoid has remained a public health burden leading to several morbidities and despite many attempts. Health education targeted to patients receiving care in health centers may significantly reduce burden of typhoid among febrile patients in Uganda. Material and Methods: We consecutively sampled 283 participants presenting with febrile symptoms. Consent/assent was administered and after fully understanding the study, blood samples were collected using a 2 ml syringe and transferred into red top vacutainer before laboratory tests. We carried out centrifugation at 1000 rpm for 15 min. We performed slide agglutination test to identify presence of Salmonella typhi antibodies followed by tube agglutination for quantification. Titers of <1:160 were considered positive for typhoid. Data were analyzed descriptively as medians and proportions using STATA 14. Robust Poisson regression was carried out to obtain both crude and adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) for bivariate and multivariate analysis, respectively. Results: The median age for participants was 25 years. The seroprevalence of typhoid was 26.5% (95%, confidence interval [CI]: 21.7-32.0). Teenagers were 3 times more likely to be tested positive for typhoid compared to those below 13 years; (crude prevalence ratio = 2.76, 95%, CI: 1.11-6.83). Participants who reported to have received health education over past 2 months were 58% less likely to suffer from typhoid compared to those that reported no recent health education (aPR = 0.42; 95%, CI: 0.26-0.69). Having history of typhoid over the past 2 months was positively associated with reoccurrence of typhoid (aPR = 1.75, 95%, CI: 1.12-2.72). Conclusion: Burden of typhoid still persists in rural communities especially among teenagers. Lack of health education predisposes communities. People who have had typhoid in the past 2 months are mostly likely to have a reoccurrence of the disease.
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    Microalbuminuria and Traditional Serum Biomarkers of Nephropathy among Diabetic Patients at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital in South Western Uganda
    (Journal of diabetes research, 2019) Kiconco, Ritah; Rugera, Simon Peter; Kiwanuka, Gertrude N.
    Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a common finding in diabetic patients. Microalbuminuria is the earliest clinical evidence of DN. Early detection of microalbuminuria is very important; it allows timely interventions to prevent progression to macroalbuminuria and later end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Objectives. To determine the prevalence of microalbuminuria in diabetic patients and establish its association with traditional serum renal markers in assessment of incipient nephropathy. Methods. This cross-sectional study involved 140 participants with diabetes mellitus (DM) attending the diabetic clinic of Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital. Questionnaires were used to obtain participant data after obtaining written informed consent. Data collected included: age, sex, level of education, history of smoking and alcohol consumption, hypertension, body mass index, family history, and duration of DM. Morning spot urine samples were collected from each participant and blood drawn for analysis of other renal markers. Urine microalbumin was determined quantitatively using immunoturbidity assay (Microalbumin kit, Mindray). Serum creatinine and uric acid and glucose levels were determined by spectrophotometric methods. Results. The overall prevalence of microalbuminuria was 22.9%. Using a simple and multiple linear regression model, serum creatinine (β = 0:010, 95% CI (0.005, 0.014), P = 0:0001) and glucose (β = 0:030, 95% CI (0.011, 0.048), P = 0:0017) levels were significantly associated with microalbuminuria. After adjusting for linearity, family history of DM was the only predictor of microalbuminuria (β = 0:275, 95% CI (0.043, 0.508), P = 0:002). Although microalbuminuria was weakly associated with eGFR (OR = 1:2, 95% CI (0.24, 5.96)), the relationship was not statistically significant (P = 0:824). Conclusion. The prevalence of microalbuminuria in patients with diabetes in this study was high. The study suggests the need to screen for microalbuminuria early to reduce the possible burden of ESRD. When serum creatinine is used as a renal function marker among diabetic patients, it should be combined with microalbuminuria for better assessment of incipient nephropathy