Introduction: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is chronic, inherited haemoglobin disorder, associated with chronic tissue ischemia which may adversely affect any organ system. Chronic anaemia in SCD results in cardiac chamber dilatation with compensatory increase in left ventricular mass and varying degree of diastolic dysfunction that has been a strong independent predictor of mortality in patients with SCD. There is paucity of echocardiographic studies on adults Nigerians with SCD. This study therefore, aimed to assess left ventricular systolic and diastolic function among sickle cell disease patients in Kano State, NorthWestern Nigeria. Methods: The study was cross-sectional and comparative conducted at the SCD clinic and Medical/outpatient (MOP) clinic of Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital (MMSH), on eligible patients aged 13 years and above. One hundred patients with SCD (HbSS) were recruited as the study group while 100 non SCD (HbAA) patients, matched for age and sex served as controls. Left and right atrial and ventricular dimensions, left ventricular (LV) wall thickness, LV mass index and LV contractility variables were obtained. Parameters of LV diastolic function were also evaluated. Results: There were increases in the left atrial and left ventricular dimensions, left ventricular volumes and left ventricular mass (LVM) of the SCD patients. LV ejection fraction was equivalent, though there was evidence of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in up to 36%. Conclusion: Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction may complicate cases adults with SCD.

Introduction: Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a common clinical condition in northern Nigeria. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and characteristics of PPCM among women with heart failure referred for echocardiography. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective study of 401 women managed for heart failure referred for echocardiography between October 2016 and September 2017. Their reports were analyzed for demographic and echocardiographic parameters. Results: The mean age of the 401 individuals studied was 41.28 ± 16.25 years. The commonest cause of heart failure was PPCM, accounting for 256 (69.5%), followed by hypertension 79 (19.7%) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) 24 (5.9%). Conclusion: PPCM is a common and important cause of heart failure among women in Northern Nigeria.

Hypertension is the most common and important cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor, frequently clustering with other risk factors to increase cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality. This study therefore, aimed to assess the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) among hypertensive subjects using the criteria of the National Cholesterol Education Program's Adult Treatment Panel III(NCEP -ATP III)in a tertiary hospital, in Kano, North -Western Nigeria. This was a cross-sectional study conducted at the hypertensive clinic of Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, Kano. Structured pretested interviewer administered questionnaire was used for data collection. A population of 240 hypertensive patients ( 119 males and 121 females) over the age of 18 years were screened for metabolic syndrome by determining the body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, levels of fasting plasma glucose and fasting plasma lipids. Out of the 240 patients studied, 92(38.2%) patients met the criteria for metabolic syndrome. 26(28.6%) of them were males and 66(71.4%) were females. Type II diabetes mellitus was found in 85(35.8%), impaired fasting glucose in 18(7.5%), high plasma triglycerides in 58(24.4%) and low high density lipoprotein cholesterol in 79(33%).Obesity was found in 105(43.8%). The prevalence of metabolic syndrome among hypertensives in Kano is high. Therefore, regular screening and control of hypertension and other CVD risk factors is necessary to prevent complications.