HBP, Diabetes Commonest Among COVID-19 Patients Who Died In Lagos — MD, IDH

The Medical Director of the Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba, Lagos, Dr. Bowale Abimbola has disclosed that the majority of the people who died of COVID-19 complications in Lagos have hypertension and diabetes even as he disclosed that most male individuals come down with a very severe form of the infection.

Disclosing this while in his presentation entitled: “Regional Perspective on Clinical Case Management of COVID-19.

The Lagos Experience”, at a webinar organised by the Commonwealth Medical Association, CMA, Bowale also said hypertension, diabetes, and hypertension alone and other comorbidities such as HIV, and asthma among others was common in COVID-19 patients in the state.

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Bowale said when matched with mortality: “The majority of the people we lose are people who have hypertension and diabetes with COVID-19 infection and those who have hypertension alone.”

According to him, hypertension alone contributes 33 per cent, diabetes mellitus 11 per cent and a combination of hypertension and diabetes 34 per cent, hypertension with other conditions 9 per cent while other causes contribute 13 per cent.

On the severity of admission, he explained that 59 per cent of patients have mild disease, 7 per cent have severe to disease manifestations while those who have very moderate ones go home within 13 days.

On the most affected population, he said from the pattern of the infection in Lagos, the disease more or less affects the very active population of the country (31 and 40 years of age).

“It is actually the male that comes down with a very severe form of the infection. The majority of the patients are actually male individuals (61) while 39 are females.”

The Medical Director also disclosed that 75 per cent of those on admission have no comorbidities while 25 per cent have.

“In Lagos, most people affected with COVID-19 male individuals, and they come down with severe infection while most females come down with mild to moderate infection.”

He further stressed the need to strengthen regional and national capacity to respond to the disease through adequate funding by government and in collaboration with the private sector

“There is also the need for human resource development. This is important because in 2014 when we had Ebola, we did not have anybody but WHO brought in some people who trained the local doctors here so when we have this it was actually very easy for us.

Infrastructural development is also very important when we need to make diagnosis for quick isolation and treatment.”

He noted that access to reagents and testing materials have been a big challenge in Lagos, adding that local manufacturing was only being ramped up.

“Vaccine should also be made available when it becomes available to everybody.”

Other key speakers during the webinar chaired by Professor Akin Osibogun includes Prof Celia Christie- Samuels who spoke on COVID 19 in the Caribbean: Clinical Case Management, Dr. Menelas Nkeshimana, a Consultant physician in internal medicine from Rwanda, Dr. Dhrva Chaudry, senior professor and head Pulmonary and critical care medicine, India among others.

Others are; the Convener/CMA, Dr. Osahon Enabulele, Secretary-General, WMA, Otmar Kloiber, and Executive Director, WHO emergency programme, Dr. Mike Ryain.