Background: Seizure‐related injuries (SRI) constitute one of the major areas of concern in managing people with epilepsy. Of those, the ones with generalized tonic‐clonic seizures and drop attacks, are prone to sustain motor vehicle accidents, falls, burns, drowning, fractures, soft tissue and head injuries. Hence, this study aimed to assess the magnitude and associated factors of SRI among patients seen at Amanuel Specialized Mental Hospital, Ethiopia.

Methods: A cross‐sectional study was conducted at a regular seizure follow up clinic. A total of 298 patients above 15 years of age were included in this study. Patients’ socio-demographic and clinical data were collected based on interview and record review. Descriptive statistics were done and multivariable logistic regression was used to determine independent predictors of SRI with adjusted odds ratio and corresponding confidence interval. A p-value <0.05 was considered as statistically significant.

Results: A total of 298 patients were included in this study. Of these, 34.9% were reported to have SRI. Lacerations (54.2%), burn (19.8%) and dental-loss (15.8%) were the most common type of injuries. There was a 2.2-fold increase in the odds of SRI among those in grades 1-6 educational levels (AOR=2.19, 95% CI (1.04-4.54)), and a lower risk of SRI was found among those who could read and write (AOR=0.11, 95% CI (0.13-0.86)).

Conclusions: The study documented significant level of SRI among the study population with varied levels of severity. To minimize SRI ,it is essential to target the above predictors through proper surveillance system in the follow-up clinics with continuous advocacy work to the family and working environment.

Background: Hypertension is a major public health problem in both developing and developed nations because it is highly prevalent and is associated with complications. Numerous environmental and genetic variables are linked to the occurrence of the disease. It may be influenced by the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, which preserves bodily homeostasis. The angiotensinogen gene M235T polymorphisms that has an effect on the activity of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system are  related to the high hypertension risk. The aim of this study was to find out the association between angiotensinogen M235T gene polymorphism and the risk of developing hypertension.

Methods: A total of 306 samples - 153 patients with hypertension and 153 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were selected using a simple random sampling technique. Clinical and biochemical variables were measured to assess the associated risk factors. Blood samples from the patients and matched controls were used to isolate deoxyribonucleic acid. The AGT M235T genotypes were identified using polymerase chain reaction and analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis. Logistic regression with a 95% confidence interval (CI) was employed to assess the risk correlations of AGT gene M235T polymorphisms with hypertension.

Results: Our analysis showed that the AGT-TT genotype (odds ratio [OR] = 3.11, 95% CL = 1.67–5.79, P< 0.001) and T allele (OR = 2.18, 95% CL = 1.56–3.04, P< 0.001) are considerably higher in hypertensive patients than in healthy controls. Our study also identified the clinical risk factors for hypertension, such as, total cholesterol, triglycerol, low density lipoprotein-cholesterol, and high density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels, which were significantly higher in patients compared to controls (P< 0.001).

Conclusion: The AGT M235T genes of the TT genotype and the T allele are associated with an increased risk of hypertension among the Ethiopian patients. A population-based epidemiological study is needed corroborate the association between AGT and HTN.