+1 (629)348-3199Familial Aggregation of Substance Use Disorders in South-Eastern Nigeria: A family-controlled study
Joint Event on 3rd International Conference on Spine and Spine Disorders & International Conference on Addiction Research and Therapy
November 26-27, 2018 | Dubai, UAE
Justus Uchenna Onu
Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Nigeria
Scientific Tracks Abstracts : J Neurol Neurorehabil Res
Abstract:
Background: The generation of a robust genetic epidemiological
data in Africa to drive public mental health education on the
biological basis of Substance Use Disorders (SUDs), which has
been popularly misconstrued as a moral failure, has become
imperative, in order to encourage access to formal care by
patients and allocation of resources by policy makers. There is
paucity of data on the heritability of SUDs in Africa. To the best
of the authors’ knowledge this will be the first report from our
continent regarding the familial and morbid risks of SUDs using
our methodology.
Objective: This study will aim to assess the familial and morbid
risks of SUDs and other Psychiatric Disorders in the First-
Degree Relatives (FDRs) of pro bands with cannabis and alcohol
dependence, in comparison with the families of a sample of
healthy control group.
Hypothesis: We hypothesize that the FDRs of pro bands with
SUDs are significantly more likely to have elevated risk of SUDs
and other mental disorders than the relatives of a healthy control
group.
Methods: This study will be an extension of our previous studies
on the genetic epidemiology of Schizophrenia and Mood
Disorders. The study will elicit information on the familial and
morbid risks of SUDs among FDRs of probands with cannabis
and alcohol dependence and relatives of a healthy control group
through direct interview (in person or via telephone) of relatives
using the Diagnostic Interview for Genetic Studies (DIGS). FDRs
who could not be reached for direct interview will be interviewed
using informant reports. Diagnosis of pro bands will be by
consensus by two experts in this field. Best-estimate method will
be used for the diagnosis in the relatives of the pro bands and
the control. Logistic regression will be used to estimate the Odds
Ratios (OR) and 95% Confidence Intervals (CI) for the differences
in proportion of the affected versus unaffected FDRs, while the
Weinberger shorter method will be used to estimate morbid
risks.
Significance: It is hoped that the findings of this study will enrich
the field of genetic epidemiology of SUDs in Africa. These data
will be valuable to clinicians in public education and preventive
services of genetic counselling in Africa.
Biography:
Justus Uchenna Onu has completed his Fellowship at the age of 34 years from both the West African Postgraduate Medical College and National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria. He is a consultant psychiatrist at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria. He is the acting academic coordinator for the residency training program of the above institution, a reviewer for reputable Journals and has published about 5 original articles in both local and International Journals.
E-mail: just20002006@gmail.com
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