Conference Proceedings of the 57th Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the Paediatric Association of Nigeria, Abeokuta, 2026
Background: Children with congenital heart disease (CHD) are at increased risk of malnutrition due to elevated metabolic demands, feeding difficulties and recurrent infections. Malnutrition adversely affects morbidity, surgical outcomes and survival, yet data from Nigeria and West Africa remain limited. Objective: To assess the nutritional status of children with CHD and examine its association with socio-demographic characteristics, anthropometric indices and types of cardiac lesions Methods: A hospital- based comparative cross- sectional study was conducted among 100 children with echocardiographically confirmed CHD (cases) and 60 apparently healthy age- and sex matched controls. Socio-demographic data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Anthropometric measurements were obtained using World Health Organisation growth standards. Results: Most participants were toddlers (55 % of the cases and 60 % of the controls), and over half of the CHD cases were diagnosed during infancy. Acyanotic CHD predominated (70%), with ventricular septal defect being the most common lesion. Although the majority of children with CHD were well nourished, 24% were acutely malnourished. Wasting and underweight were significantly associated with CHD occurrence (p <0.001), whereas stunting showed no significant association. No significant relationship was observed between CHD category and gender, birth order, family size or nutritional status. Conclusion: Children with unoperated CHD have a significantly higher burden of wasting and underweight compared with healthy peers. Integrating routine nutritional screening and targeted nutritional intervention into cardiac care pathways may improve growth outcomes in resource‑limited settings.
A 4-year-old boy of Nigerian descent is brought to the Paediatric Emergency department with a 5-day history of progressive periorbital puffiness, abdominal distension, and bilateral pitting lower-limb oedema.
Background: Diphtheria remains a re-emerging vaccine-preventable disease in Nigeria, contributing significantly to morbidity and mortality among children. Understanding the pattern and outcomes of diphtheria-related complications is essential for prevention and enhancing case management. Objective: To describe the pattern and outcomes of diphtheria-related complications among hospitalised children at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Birnin Kebbi, Nigeria. Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study analysed the data of 49 children diagnosed with diphtheria over 1 year. Information was collected using a structured proforma. Descriptive statistics and multinomial logistic regression analysis were used to assess associations between predictors and clinical outcomes. Results: Fifty-one per cent of the patients were aged 5–10 years. Airway obstruction was the most common complication (49%), followed by myocarditis (16.3%) and acute kidney injury (12.2%). The overall mortality rate was 36.7%, with the highest mortality rate observed among the under-five group (20.4%) and those with incomplete immunisation. There was a statistically significant association between age, immunisation status, and clinical outcomes (p < 0.05), with children under five and those with incomplete immunisation having significantly lower odds of recovery. Conclusion: Diphtheria continues to pose a significant threat to childhood survival in Birnin Kebbi, Nigeria, with incomplete immunisation and young age being major risk factors for poor clinical outcomes. Strengthening immunisation coverage and improving case management are crucial to reducing mortality and complications associated with diphtheria.
Background: Neonatal mortality is a high-priority public health concern in Nigeria, with delayed initiation of adequate health care for sick neonates contributing to unfavourable outcomes. This indicates the urgent need to address the barriers to timely access to healthcare for neonates in desperate situations. Objectives: To determine the factors associated with the delay in presentation of sick neonates at the University College Hospital, Ibadan. Methods: A sequential-exploratory mixed-method approach was used. Data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire adapted from the Healthcare-Seeking Behaviour and Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire. Qualitative interviews with caregivers of neonates were analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Of the 312 neonates, 151(48.4%) had delay in presentation (DIP) while 63(20.0%) had delayed health seeking. The mean delay in presentation and delayed health-seeking was 46±86hrs and 33±73hrs, respectively. The reasons for DIP were predominantly previous treatment (48; 31.8%), lack of awareness in the mother (46; 30.5%), and thoughts that the illness would resolve (33; 21.9%). The reasons for DHS included the belief that illness would resolve (22; 8.6%), lack of maternal awareness (20; 7.8%), and cost (10; 3.9%). In multivariate analysis, age <7 days was a predictor of both DIP and DHS (AOR:0.316, CI:0.19-0.52) and (AOR:0.285, CI:0.15-0.53), respectively. Prematurity protected against DIP (AOR:0.437, 95%CI: 0.26-0.72) but increased the likelihood of DHS (AOR:2.794, CI:1.36-5.73). Conclusion: Delay in healthcare seeking among caregivers of neonates remains high. Efforts to improve caregivers' knowledge of neonatal illnesses should be promoted to enhance neonatal care.
