Adaobi Solarin

Lagos State University | LASU · Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Background: Apolipoprotein L1 gene (APOL1) variants are risk factors for chronic kidney disease (CKD) among Black Americans. Data are sparse on the genetic epidemiology of CKD and the clinical association of APOL1 variants with CKD in West Africans, a major group in the Black population. Methods: We conducted a case-control study involving parti...

Background: Childhood nephrotic syndrome, if left untreated, leads to progressive kidney disease or death. We quantified the prevalence of steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome, steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome, and histological types as the epidemiology of nephrotic syndrome in Africa remains unknown, yet impacts outcomes. Methods: We searche...

Introduction: There is little known about the impact of dietary patterns on blood pressure (BP) in West Africa. Our study describes associations of dietary patterns with BP and albuminuria and is the first study to do so in a well-phenotyped West African CKD cohort. Research question: What are the associations of dietary patterns with BP and protei...

Introduction: Diet, chronic kidney disease (CKD), and Apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) (DCA) Study is examining the role of dietary factors in CKD progression and APOL1 nephropathy. We describe enrollment and retention efforts and highlight facilitators and barriers to enrollment and operational challenges, as well as accommodations made in the study pro...

BACKGROUND/AIMS Cerebral palsy (CP), a permanent disorder of movement and posture resulting from a non- progressive injury to the developing brain, is associated with increased risk of urinary tract infections (UTI) due to urinary dysfunction (UD). UTI is more likely to be recurrent or persistent, but unrecognised and untreated, in children with CP...

Arrhythmias refer to disturbances in heart rate or rhythm which leads to heart rates that are abnormally fast, slow, or irregular. Rhythm abnormalities may be common among Nigeria children but there are only few reports. The current write up is a clinical review of 8 patients in various age groups including neonate, infant and older children. It is...

Background: Hypothyroidism in children with nephrotic syndrome (NS) is often attributed to prolonged loss of thyroxine binding globulin and thyroid hormones alongside protein in the urine. It has been historically associated with steroid-resistant NS alone. However, recent evidence supports the fact that subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) does occur...

Advances in kidney genomics in the past 20 years has opened the door for more precise diagnosis of kidney disease and identification of new and specific therapeutic agents. Despite these advances, an imbalance exists between low-resource and affluent regions of the world. Individuals of European ancestry from the United States, United Kingdom, and...

The burden of chronic kidney disease (CKD) has increased exponentially worldwide but more so in low- and middle-income countries. Specific risk factors in these regions expose their populations to an increased risk of CKD, such as genetic risk with APOL1 among populations of West African heritage or farmers with CKD of unknown etiology that spans v...

Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) is an important differential diagnosis for short stature, defined as a height percentile below the mean population height. In the developed world well- child visits are commonplace; in a limited resource setting such as Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) this is not the case. As such, the use of anthropometric data for evaluat...

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is the least studied complication of nephrotic syndrome (NS). Risk factors which predispose children with NS to developing PAD include hyperlipidaemia, hypertension and prolonged use of steroids. The development of PAD significantly increases the morbidity and mortality associated with NS as such children are prone...

There is conflicting evidence on the role of lipid biomarkers in breast cancer (BC), and no study to our knowledge has examined this association among African women. We estimated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for the association of lipid biomarkers—total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein...

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is the least studied complication of nephrotic syndrome (NS). Risk factors which predispose children with NS to developing PAD include hyperlipidaemia, hypertension and prolonged use of steroids. The development of PAD significantly increases the morbidity and mortality associated with NS as such children are prone...

Introduction: Nephrotic syndrome is a chronic relapsing condition associated with urinary loss of albumin and other proteins such as vitamin D binding protein (DBP). We determined vitamin D status and serum DBP levels in children with nephrotic syndrome and compared them to healthy controls. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed over a six...

Background The association between obesity and breast cancer (BC) has been extensively studied among US, European and Asian study populations, with often conflicting evidence. However, despite the increasing prevalence of obesity and associated conditions in Africa, the continent with the highest age-standardized BC mortality rate globally, few stu...

INTRODUCTION: Clinical ethical dilemmas/conflicts (CEDs) are moral situations where clinicians’ values/decisions conflict with patients/parents’ values/wishes.1 Unresolved CEDs result in poor care, patient/providers’ dissatisfaction/distress or litigation, especially in paediatrics where parental decision may harm children.2–4 In Nigeria, the patt...

Background Childhood nephrotic syndrome, if left untreated, leads to progressive kidney disease or death. We quantified the prevalence of steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome, steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome, and histological types as the epidemiology of nephrotic syndrome in Africa remains unknown, yet impacts outcomes. Methods We searched M...

Background: Correction of vitamin D deficiency through administration of either vitamin D2 or D3 has been shown to reduce chronic bone pains and frequency of acute bone pains, increase bone density as well as improve growth stature in children with sickle cell anemia (SCA). Findings vary on the effectiveness of the two forms of the vitamin. The cu...

With restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, it was necessary to develop a training modality for researchers in sub-Saharan Africa participating in an NIH funded, diet and chronic kidney disease (CKD) research study. We developed a three-day module for investigators, clinical research coordinators and dieticians for dietary recall trainin...

The article discusses the management of idiopathic childhood nephrotic syndrome (NS) in sub-Saharan Africa, highlighting challenges and consensus recommendations. It identifies NS as a leading cause of chronic kidney disease in children within the region, with significant variability in clinical practice. The study emphasizes the limited applicabil...

Background: Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) has been linked to some acute and chronic bone disorders that commonly complicate sickle cell anaemia (SCA) in children. Some of these bone diseases include chronic pain, reduced bone density and fractures. Despite Nigeria having the highest number of children with SCA in the world, there is a paucity of data...

Background Recent reports from small studies in West Africa suggest that Black children may have high rate of steroid sensitivity nephrotic syndrome (SSNS) contrary to long held knowledge. Herein, we determined the proportion of children with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS) who achieved complete remission with steroid therapy and identified fac...

To understand the genetics of steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome (SSNS), we conducted a genome-wide association study in 987 childhood SSNS patients and 3,206 healthy controls with Japanese ancestry. Beyond known associations in the HLA-DR/DQ region, common variants in NPHS1-KIRREL2 (rs56117924, P=4.94E-20, odds ratio (OR) =1.90) and TNFSF15 (rs6...

Introduction: Paediatric urology is one of the subspecialities of urology, and in most climes, it is practised by the urologists and paediatric surgeons, and likewise in the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH). The urologists see and manage most of these cases in LASUTH. There has been no formal training in this subspeciality. Howeve...

Introduction: The genetic architecture of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (NS) in African children is unknown despite evidence pointing to racial differences in the prevalence and clinical course of NS. The objective was to determine the frequency of single gene mutations in Nigerian children with idiopathic NS. Methods: Genomic DNA from 89 children...

Background Childhood nephrotic syndrome (NS) follows a chronic course in most children. However, little is known about the psychosocial burden of NS on the caregivers despite evidence that caregiver burden or impairment in their well-being may alter the outcome of chronic childhood illnesses. Objectives To determine the frequency and predictors of...

Background: The prevalence of acute kidney injury (AKI) in children with severe malaria in sub-Saharan African may have been underestimated. The study aimed to determine the prevalence of AKI in children with severe malaria and its association with adverse hospital outcomes. Methods: At presentation, we measured complete blood count, serum bilir...

The prevalence of suboptimal Vitamin D levels is higher in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) than in the general population. Recent findings suggest that progression of CKD is linked to a suboptimal Vitamin D level. A high percentage of CKD patients have severe Vitamin D deficiency. These patients also have a low level of 25-hydroxy-vitami...

Introduction & Objectives Juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus (JSLE)-a chronic multisystem autoimmune disorder of childhood- is potentially more fatal than adult systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). There are scanty reports of JSLE from Black Africans partly due to missed diagnosis, because it clinically mimics common paediatric diseases like mala...

Background: Steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) is a leading cause of end-stage kidney disease in children and young adults. Despite advances in genomic science that have led to the discovery of >50 monogenic causes of SRNS, there are no clear guidelines for genetic testing in clinical practice. Methods: Using high throughput sequencing, we...

Uraemic optic neuropathy (UON) is an acute but reversible loss of vision in patients with end-stage renal failure. Hypoperfusion of the posterior ciliary arteries, the major blood supply to the optic nerve head, results in ischaemic injury to the nerve. Anaemia, hypertension and elevated nitrogen urea level have been identified as factors contribut...

Background: Across the world, World Kidney Day (WKD) is marked yearly to increase awareness of kidney diseases. In 2016, its focus was on children for the first time. We report on a WKD screening initiative for kidney disease that was conducted in two public schools in Lagos State, Nigeria.Methods: Participants were recruited after guardians provid...

Background: Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is the best measure of renal function. However, the ideal exogenous markers are not routinely used to estimate GFR in clinical settings. Outside Africa, GFR estimates for neonates have been calculated from formulae using creatinine as well as cystatin C. There is a paucity of data on estimated GFR in neo...

Skin fold thickness (SFT) measurement is a reliable, cheap, simple, noninvasive method of body fat estimation at all ages including the neonatal period. Objective . To determine reference values of biceps, triceps, subscapular, and suprailiac skinfold thickness measurements in term Nigerian newborns. Method . A prospective cross-sectional study ove...

Prune belly syndrome (PBS) is a rare congenital disorder affecting 2.5 to 3.8/100,000 live births worldwide. Our objective of this report is to describe clinical manifestation, laboratory, and radiological characteristics of PBS in our patients, to highlight the limitations to offering appropriate patient care due to parents demanding discharge aga...

Background: Few data exist for the genetic variants underlying the risk for steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome (SSNS) in children. The objectives of this study were to evaluate HLA-DQA1 and APOL1 variants as risk factors for SSNS in African American children and use classic HLA antigen types and amino acid inference to refine the HLA-DQA1 associ...

Cystatin C is an endogenous marker of renal function. Normal reference values have been documented in neonates outside Africa, but no study has been documented in African neonates. With reports that race may affect serum cystatin C values, this study was carried out to generate normal values in apparently healthy term neonates at birth and three da...

BACKGROUND. This study reports on toilet training with a focus on the effect of age, methods used, and factors that can affect urinary incontinence in Nigerian children. METHODS. This was a cross-sectional hospital-based study carried out in public and private hospitals in South-Western Nigeria. A questionnaire was used to obtain information about...

Background/Objectives Neonatal sepsis is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in the pediatric age group in spite of several attempts at mitigating its effects. This article determines the prevalence of neonatal sepsis and the pathogens responsible for sepsis as well as risk factors and outcome at the Babcock University Teaching Hospital....

BACKGROUND: Urinary tract infections (UTI’s) are among the commonest bacterial infectious disease in clinical practice with a wide range of etiologic agents. It frequently occurs in both the hospital and the community. AIMS/OBJECTIVES:: To determine the etiology of UTI at BUTH and obtain data on their susceptibility and resistance patterns. METHODS...

BACKGROUND: Urinary tract infections (UTI’s) are among the commonest bacterial infectious disease in clinical practice with a wide range of etiologic agents. It frequently occurs in both the hospital and the community. AIMS/OBJECTIVES:: To determine the etiology of UTI at BUTH and obtain data on their susceptibility and resistance patterns. METH...

One of the major challenges of kidney transplantation is shortage of kidney donors. Care givers (CGs) are potential kidney donors, but the majority of them are unwilling to donate due to inadequate knowledge on kidney donation. This study evaluated the knowledge of kidney donation and its determinants among CGs in two tertiary hospitals in Southwes...

Gangrene of the lower extremities in neonates is a rare event except in traumatic cases. When risk factors for trauma to the limb of the newborn exist, it is important to prevent such injuries and when they are inevitable, appropriate management of injuries should further prevent complications such as limb gangrene. This report describes a newborn...

Objective: Neonatal resuscitation has evolved over the last three decades from word of mouth teachings to organised methods. Resuscitation efforts are geared towards mitigating the adverse sequalae of perinatal asphyxia. To evaluate the cognitive knowledge of health workers primarily involved in care of newborn on neonatal resuscitation and documen...