Awareness and Frequency of Encounter With Subjects With Antiphospholipid Syndrome by Medical Practitioners in Tertiary and Some Other Health Institutions in Southeast Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is an autoimmune multisystem disorder. There has been a limited number of reported cases from Nigeria. Objectives: To determine the awareness and frequency of encounters with APS cases by medical practitioners in health institutions in South East Nigeria. Materials and Methods: It was a descriptive cross-sectional study. All medical doctors met in the clinics who were willing to participate in the study were recruited during the period of the study. Statistical Package for Social Sciences was used for data entry, validation, and analysis. Results: A total of 581 study questionnaires were distributed to medical doctors met at the clinics and clinical meetings of five hospitals in Southeast Nigeria however, 581 were approximately filled and retrieved, giving an response rate of 94.84%. Males were 383 (69.5%) and females were 168 (30.5%). A total of 445 (80.8%) were unaware of the autoimmune multisystemic nature of APS. Of the 551 respondents, 348 (63.2%) were aware that Rheumatologist is the primary care physician for APS, 290 (52.6%) reported rarity of APS, and 366 (66.4%) had up to 50% overall knowledge of APS. Respondents’ encounters with unexplained thrombotic events and unexplained stroke in the young were limited. A total of 62 (11.3%) were aware of the international classification criteria for APS. Conclusion: The authors conclude that APS awareness among medical practitioners in South East Nigeria is suboptimal.

Keywords

• antiphospholipid antibody; antiphospholipid syndrome; autoimmune; medical practitioners