ABSTRACT
A detailed study protocol was produced and the protocol forms completed by
the medical doctors who diagnosed and admitted the PPCF patients. The female
wards of the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria and Hajiya Gambo
Sawaba General Hospital, Kofan Gayan, Zaria City, were used for sampling. A total
of 14 patients from the two hospitals were used as source of blood samples. Also,
14 healthy puerperal women diagnosed to be PPCF free but of the same age group
with the patients were employed to serve as the control subjects.
For each blood sample collected, the plasma was first separated from the
red cells by centrifuging at 2500 rpm for 5 minutes. The plasma was then
deproteinised using 2M nitric acid and the resulting mixture centrifuged at 3000
rpm for 10 minutes. The deproteinated plasma was then digested with
nitric/sulphuric acids mixture before appropriate dilutions were made for onward
quantification by AAS. A total of five electrolytes (sodium, potassium, calcium,
sulphate and phosphate) were determined. Mutual interferences of the electrolytes
of interest were also investigated and their correlations examined.
Sodium and sulphate were the only two electrolytes that proved statistically
positive to play a vital role in the pathogenesis of PPCF in puerperal women in
Northern Nigeria. Other electrolytes did not, although, a high level of calcium ion
was observed in the blood plasma of the patients. Furthermore, the sodium heavy
loading was found to be more acute in patients whose ages lie between 26 – 35
years. However, there was no bias on the basis of the consumption mode of the
patients be it in terms of white “kanwa”, red “kanwa” or those taking both white and
red “kanwa” combined.
IF YOU CAN'T FIND YOUR TOPIC, CLICK HERE TO HIRE A WRITER»
