Browsing by Author "Kitara, David Lagoro"

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    COVID-19 pandemic, challenges, and opportunities in Northern Uganda; Community overview and perspectives: A qualitative study using informant interviews.
    (Plos, 2022-01-06) Ikoona, Eric Nzirakaindi; Okot , Christopher; Nyeko, Johnson Oloya; Aloyo, Judith; Kitara, David Lagoro
    Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a virus that causes COVID-19, has overwhelmingly interrupted human activities worldwide, especially in the low-to-middle income countries. Not much is reported about exclusive challenges and opportunities presented by the COVID-19 pandemic in some remote communities in Africa
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    Determinants of Primary Pyomyositis in Northern Uganda
    (British Journal of Medicine and Medical Research, 2015) Kitara, David Lagoro; Bwangamoi, Paul Okot; Wabinga, Henry; Odida, Michael
    To describe the determinants of primary pyomyositis in Northern Uganda.Study Design and Setting: A case-control and a cohort study designs were conducted in Hospitals in Northern Uganda. Primary pyomyositis patients were consecutively recruited and followed to discharge. Controls had minor trauma and were age and sex matched with cases. Patients were admitted, investigated (clinical features, imaging, hematology, clinical chemistry and histology from muscle biopsy); managed surgically and followed up to discharge. Those that did not meet the inclusion criteria for diagnosis histologically were excluded. Ethical approval was obtained from Gulu University IRB.
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    Factors Associated With Mortality Among the COVID-19 Patients Treated at Gulu Regional Referral Hospital: A Retrospective Study
    (Frontiers in public health, 2022-04-11) Baguma, Steven; Okot, Christopher; Apiyo, Paska; Oloya, Johnson Nyeko; Aloyo, Judith; Kitara, David Lagoro
    The advent of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused millions of deaths worldwide. As of December 2021, there is inadequate data on the outcome of hospitalized patients suffering from COVID-19 in Africa. This study aimed at identifying factors associated with hospital mortality in patients who suffered from COVID-19 at Gulu Regional Referral Hospital in Northern Uganda from March 2020 to October 2021. This was a single-center, retrospective cohort study in patients hospitalized with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 at Gulu Regional Referral Hospital in Northern Uganda. Socio-demographic characteristics, clinical presentations, co-morbidities, duration of hospital stay, and treatments were analyzed, and factors associated with the odds of mortality were determined. Of the 664 patients treated, 661 (99.5%) were unvaccinated, 632 (95.2%) recovered and 32 (4.8%) died. Mortality was highest in diabetics 11 (34.4%), cardiovascular diseases 12 (37.5%), hypertensives 10 (31.3%), females 18 (56.3%), ≥50-year-olds 19 (59.4%), no formal education 14 (43.8%), peasant farmers 12 (37.5%) and those who presented with difficulty in breathing/shortness of breath and chest pain 32 (100.0%), oxygen saturation (SpO2) at admission <80 4 (12.5%), general body aches and pains 31 (96.9%), tiredness 30 (93.8%) and loss of speech and movements 11 (34.4%). The independent factors associated with mortality among the COVID-19 patients were females AOR = 0.220, 95%CI: 0.059–0.827; p = 0.030; Diabetes mellitus AOR = 9.014, 95%CI: 1.726–47.067; p = 0.010; Ages of 50 years and above AOR = 2.725, 95%CI: 1.187–6.258; p = 0.018; tiredness AOR = 0.059, 95%CI: 0.009–0.371; p < 0.001; general body aches and pains AOR = 0.066, 95%CI: 0.007–0.605; p = 0.020; loss of speech and movement AOR = 0.134, 95%CI: 0.270–0.660; p = 0.010 and other co-morbidities AOR = 6.860, 95%CI: 1.309–35.957; p = 0.020. The overall Gulu Regional Hospital mortality was 32/664 (4.8%). Older age, people with diabetics, females, other comorbidities, severe forms of the disease, and those admitted to HDU were significant risk factors associated with hospital mortality. More efforts should be made to provide “additional social protection” to the most vulnerable population to avoid preventable morbidity and mortality of COVID-19 in Northern Uganda.
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    Knowledge and Misconceptions about HIV Counseling and Testing (HCT) among the Post-Conflict Youths of Gulu, Northern Uganda. A Prospective Study Design
    (Pan African Medical Journal, 2012) Kitara, David Lagoro; Amone, Charles; Okello, Christopher
    Uganda has been reported as the most successful country in Africa in reducing the prevalence of HIV/AIDS from 18% to 6.4% over the last two decades. There is evidence to suggest that despite a significant decline between 1992 and 2002, HIV prevalence has stagnated over the last 5-9 years at between 6.1 and 6.5% and it is rising in some parts of the country such as Gulu. This rise are thought to be due to the high levels of stigma and superstition preventing HIV counseling and testing (HCT). WHO reports in 2009 showed that only 20% of Uganda’s populations knew their HIV sero-status. This study was designed to find out the knowledge, misconceptions, attitude and practices of youths of Gulu about HCT. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Gulu, Pece among the youths 15 to 35 years. An in-depth interview using a questionnaire was administered to youths of Commercial Road Sub-ward. Informed consent and ethical approval was obtained and 86 respondents were interviewed. Results: Ninety three percent of respondents had knowledge about HCT and 97.7% were able to mention two or more of its benefits. Most (88.4%) agreed on public disclosure of their HIV status and 84.9% would encourage others to undertake it. Only 36.1% of respondents had undertaken HCT while the rest had not undertaken it due to fear of stigmatization. There is adequate knowledge, good attitude but poor practice and misconceptions to HCT. The young adults in Gulu should be supported in a special program to enable them undertake HCT and access other services for HIV/AIDS prevention.
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    Nodding Episodes and High Anion Gap in a 13 Year Old Child with Nodding Syndrome: A Case Report
    (British Journal of Medicine and Medical Research, 2015) Kitara, David Lagoro; Gazda, Suzanne; Ambrose, Eger; Ambrose, Okot; Angwech, Collines; Palmer, Valerie; Spencer, Peter
    Nodding syndrome is an unknown neurological disorder affecting children in Northern Uganda, South Sudan and Southern Tanzania. The patient in our case report is, to the best of our knowledge, the first with the syndrome that has been serially followed up for more than three months and the information obtained provides important clue to the possible risk factor to the syndrome
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    Nodding Syndrome (NS) in Northern Uganda
    (British Journal of Medicine & Medical Research, 2013) Kitara, David Lagoro; Mwaka, Amos Deogratius; Anywar, Denis Arony; Uwonda, Gilbert; Abwang, Bernard; Kigonya, Edward
    Aims: To conduct an epidemiological study to establish the association between malnutrition, metabolic disorder and Onchocerciasis to Nodding Syndrome (NS) in Northern Uganda. Study Design: Case-control study design. Place and Duration of Study: Odek and Atiak sub counties in Gulu and Amuru districts between 10th to 20th June 2012. Methodology: We recruited consecutively 101 children with probable NS in the 2 sub counties in Gulu and Amuru districts. Controls were from the same population but without symptoms of NS and were matched by age, sex and residents. History and physical examinations were conducted; anthropometry, blood samples and skin snips were obtained from cases and controls. Researchers were pediatricians, psychiatrists, nurses, laboratory scientists and epidemiologists. The research proposal was approved by the Ministry of Health and the IRB of Gulu University. Results: There was a statistically significant association between NS with malnutrition (t=0.142; p=0.044), Onchocerciasis (Χ2 = 152.74, p<0.001; OR 7.025 95% CI 3.891, 12.682) and High Anion Gap (Χ2=146.752, p<0.001; OR 6.313 95%CI 4.027, 9.895). Conclusion: Nodding syndrome is associated with metabolic disorder in young children who are malnourished and infected with Onchocerciasis.
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    Nodding syndrome: an enigmatic neglected tropical disease, a newly recognized neurodegenerative disorder with regional clusters in East Africa; could it be an early-onset Alzheimer´s disease?
    (PAMJ Clinical Medicine, 2021-12) Kitara, David Lagoro; Lemos, Bernardo; Bump, Jesse Boardman
    Nodding Syndrome (NS) is an enigmatic childhood neurological disorder clustered in East Africa. Histo-immunopathological analysis of brains of deceased NS children showed brain atrophy, neurofibrillary tangles, and tau protein deposition mainly in the entorhinal cortex. The aim of this paper is to describe the clinical and neurological presentations, to use Modified Rankin Scale (MRS) to assess disability and observe possible similarities to an early-onset Alzheimer´s disease. Methods: a case-control study involving 21 NS cases, 21 age and sex-matched community controls, 21 younger healthy siblings and 21 biological parents was conducted. Each NS child and controls underwent clinical and neurological examinations and MRS was used to assess the level of disability. Ethical approval was obtained, and STATA version 14.1 was used for data analysis. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results: children with NS exhibited significant cognitive disability in many ways, including poor immediate recall (short-term memory) 15/21 (71.4%), disorientation 13/21 (61.9%), muteness 4/21 (19.0%), poor delayed recall 11/21 (52.4%), and poor concentration 9/21 (42.9%). Just over half of NS-affected children 11/21 (52.4%) exhibited abnormal coordination of limb movements, but majority had normal cranial nerves 18/21 (85.7%), slightly less than half had a normal gait 10/21 (47.6%), and no significant association was observed between poor MRS (score ≥2) with; current age (χ2=4.039, p=0.854), underweight (χ2=1.636, p=0.201), age at onset (χ2=10.611; p=0.389), and reported duration of the syndrome (χ2=4.604, p=0.466). Conclusion: clinical and neurological findings suggest cognitive decline is related primarily to disorders of entorhinal cortex similarly observed in early-onset Alzheimer´s disease. It may not be too early to to suggest that NS is an early-onset Alzheimer´s disease. suggest that NS is an early-onset Alzheimer´s disease.
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    Primary Pyomyositis: Its Socioeconomic Effects; A Community Overview. A Qualitative Study Design
    (Int J Trop Dis Health, 2015) Kitara, David Lagoro; Bwangamoi, Paul Okot; Wabinga, Henry; Odida, Michael
    To assess the community’s views on the socioeconomic effects of primary pyomyositis to patients, family, health facilities and community. A cross-sectional study design using qualitative research methods. Gulu Regional and other Hospitals in Northern Uganda from September 2011 to November 2013. The study was conducted among patients with primary pyomyositis, next of kin, health workers and opinion leaders on their views on the socioeconomic effects of pyomyositis. Key Informant Interviews, Focus Group Discussions and In-depth Interviews were used to obtain qualitative information. Ethical approval for the study was obtained from Gulu University IRB and the National Council of Science and Technology (UNCS&T). Thematic content analysis was used for analysis of this qualitative data.