A 10-year retrospective review of inpatients in Calabar showed that of 5641 children admitted,182 (3.2%) had renal disease. The major lesions were acute glomerulonephritis (36.9%) and nephrotic syndrome (30.7%), while less common ones included urinary tract infection (8.9%), obstructive uropathy, acute renal failure (6.7%, each) and nephroblastoma (6.2%).

IntroductionPuberty is an essential physiologic process that is characterized by the appearance of secondary sexual features. Secular changes in puberty occur from one generation to another and need to be documented. The assessment of pubertal stages in a child is only useful if recent and reliable reference data from the same population is available for comparison. The study aimed to profile clinical normative sexual maturity characteristics for children in Calabar, South-South Nigeria.MethodsA cross-section of primary and secondary school pupils aged 6-18 years in the city of Calabar, Nigeria were randomly selected for the study. Sexual maturating rating was assessed using the pubertal staging for breast development and pubic hair as described by Marshall and Tanner (Tanner staging). Testicular volume in boys was measured using the Prader orchidometer. Menarche and “voice break” were established by recall of the event by the girls and boys respectively.ResultsA total of 2,830 children were seen, 1542 (54.5%) boys and 1288 (45.5%) girls. The mean age of onset of pubic hair was 11 years in both boys and girls. Pubertal testicular volume of 4 mls was seen in boys at a mean age of 11 years. Breast development in girls occurred at mean age of 11 years and menarche at 13 years.Conclusionin this study, the onset of puberty is occurring at an earlier age than previously reported in Nigeria with a secular trend of a decreasing age at onset of puberty. These sexual characteristics are rather occurring at similar ages reported from western countries.

The prevalence and intensity of S. haematobium have significantly reduced in this community though not yet eliminated. More boreholes need to be provided to make the water more accessible. This could be combined with other measures to eradicate S. haematobium from this community.

The urine samples of pupils from 4 Primary schools in Calabar were studied for asymptomatic proteinuria. The aim was to determine the prevalence of asymptomatic proteinuria in children in calabar. For each pupil, two urine samples were tested for proteinuria using the dipstick. The first urine sample was collected at school and the second was an early morning urine sample brought from home. A total of one thousand two hundred and seventy five children (1,275) were screened. Two hundred and thirty eight (18.6%) children had varying degrees of proteinuria ranging from trace to 500gm/dl in the daytime. Of these, only twenty (1.6%) had significant proteinuria of 30mg/dl to 500mg/dl. A repeat testing with early morning urine still showed significant proteinuria in 1.6% of these children. The prevalence of asymptomatic proteinuria was more in girls (65%) than in boys (35%), giving a male to female ratio of 1:1.9. The study identifies the need to always screen all children for proteinuria before admission into schools, as this will facilitate early detection of nephropathies in them and permit early investigation, treatment and follow-up.

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