Malaria treatment-related risks: prevalence and pattern of traumatic injection neuropathy in children attending physiotherapy clinic in northern Nigeria
Year: 2024
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Background:In regions where malaria is endemic, antimalarial drug injections are frequently used to treat children with febrile illnesses.However, these injections carry significant risks, including pain, infection, bleeding, and nerve injuries.Traumatic injection neuropathy, particularly affecting the sciatic nerve, can result from improper injection techniques and the use of neurotoxic drugs.This condition is of particular concern in low-resource settings, where healthcare is often provided by inadequately trained personnel, and medical oversight may be limited.Despite these risks, antimalarial injections remain a common treatment method, contributing to complications like injection-induced nerve injuries, especially in children.Aims: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and potential predisposing factors of injection-related trauma among pediatric patients attending the Physiotherapy Clinic at the Federal Medical Centre in Azare, Bauchi State. Material and methods:The profiles of children who presented with traumatic injection neuropathy over a five-year period (2019-2022) were retrospectively examined.Results: Among the 168 pediatric patients managed at the physiotherapy clinic during the study period, 43 (23.62%) with sciatic nerve palsy were reviewed.Most patients (51.16%) were aged 5 Key wordsSciatic nerve palsy, pediatric patient, malaria-endemic area, antimalarial drug injections, healthcare policies.Conclusions: This study underscores the need for healthcare policies to deter the establishment of informal or nonmedical settings in Nigeria, particularly for malaria treatment, to mitigate the risk of injection neuropathies and improve patient outcomes.
Source: Physiotherapy Review
Institution: Federal University of Health Sciences Azare
Language: English
Subfield: Emergency Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4402879477