Inhospital cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in the department of internal medicine at CHU Kigali (Rwanda)

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) formerly considered as developed countries pandemic, are becoming nowadays increasingly ubiquitous in developing countries, where in addition to a steady increase in different risk factors, there is substantial inaccessibility to health care. However, data about the burden of CVD is lacking in many sub-Saharan African countries, and their morbimortality characteristics have been poorly described. Authors carried out a descriptive and retrospective study over a 12-month period, to describe the inhospital morbidity and mortality of CVD in the Department of Internal Medicine at University Teaching Hospital in Kigali City. Data were collected from 226 CVD cases (91 males and 135 females). The patients' age ranged from 26 to 94 years (mean age of 47.17 ± 16.04). The 226 CVD cases account for the 8.2% of hospitalized patients. Hypertension was the principal cause of death (43.1% of deaths) and the predominant cause of patients' admission (42.9%), followed by cardiomyopathies (11.9%) and valvular heart diseases (11.5%). The association between a CVD and HIV/AIDS infection was observed in 23.9% of the total patients, but no causality relationship was investigated. Isolated heart failure takes the first place (33.6%) among the cardiovascular complications, followed by stroke (14.2%) and isolated renal failure (7.5%). Findings of this study confirm the importance of CVD in CHU Kigali, not only by their inhospital frequency but also- and especially by their lethality rate and their complications associated. This study stresses also a real need of CVD community survey in Rwanda

Re - appraisal of risk factors for stroke in Nigerian Africans - a prospective case - control study (Reevaluation des facteurs de risques des accidents vasculaires cerebraux dans une population Nigeriane. etude prospective)

Stroke is one of the major challenges facing medicine with a frightening statistics of being the second leading cause of death and the leading cause of physical disability worldwide. Identification and management of risk factors remains the key to reducing morbidity and mortality from stroke. Eighty patients with clinical presentation of stroke were recruited consecutively from the Emergency Departments of the University Teaching Hospital and Specialist Hospital - both situated in Benin City; Nigeria. The patients were followed up for a two year period (June 2000 - June 2002) and risk factors analysis was done on all patients. The patients were compared with eighty age and sex matched subjects without stroke (controls). Hypertension remained the dominant risk factor with an odds ratio of 2.68 (95CI 1.29 - 5.59). Diabetes mellitus independently conferred a risk of 3.23 (95CI 1.09 - 5.71) and in combination with hypertension enhanced stroke risk (odds ratio 7.21; 95CI 5.79 - 13.27; p0.05). Cigarette smoking; obesity; atrial fibrillation and physical inactivity significantly increased stroke risk (p0.05). On the other hand; dietary habits; alcohol consumption and serum cholesterol were not important risk factors in Nigerians. This study emphasized the significance of optimal blood pressure and glycemic control in stroke prevention. The message for all is to exercise; maintain a healthy weight; avoid smoking and monitor blood pressure and glucose levels regularly

Pathologie cardiovasculaire du sujet age : morbidite et mortalite en milieu hospitalier cardiologique a Bamako (Mali)

Une etude retrospective a ete effectuee du 1er janvier 1992 au 31 decembre 1992 dans le service de cardiologie de l'Hopital National du Point-G; portant sur les dossiers de malades ages de 60 ans ou plus admis pour une pathologie cardiovasculaire. Au total 150 patients ont ete inclus dans cette etude. Les hommes predominent dans la serie avec 96 cas (64 pour cent) contre 54 cas pour les femmes (36 pour cent). Trois groupes nosologiques constituent les affections predominantes a savoir l'hypertension arterielle avec 79 cas (52;6 pour cent); les valvulopathies 26 cas (17;3 pour cent) et les insuffisances cardiaques de cause indeterminee (14 pour cent). Les coronaropathies (2;7 pour cent) et les pericardites (0;7 pour cent) sont rares dans la serie. La mortalite globale a ete de 24 cas (16 pour cent). Les deces sont le plus souvent en rapport avec l'hypertension arterielle (54;1 pour cent) et les valvulopathies (20;8 pour cent)

Morbidite et mortalite cardiovasculaires a Bamako (Mali)

Les auteurs rapportent les resultats d'une etude retrospective des cardiopathies hospitalisees en cardiologie pendant l'annee 1992 et portant sur 358 dossiers. Il s'agit d'une etude clinique. Seulement 61 malades ont beneficie d'une echographie cardiaque. La predominance masculine est nette 54 pour cent et la distribution nosologique fait apparaitre trois pathologies dominantes: hypertension arterielle 36;5 pour cent; valvulopathies 23 pour cent et myocardiopathie primitive 14;8 pour cent alors que les coronaropathies 2;2 pour cent et les pericardites 2;5 pour cent sont rares. La mortalite globale est de 12;6 pour cent. L'hyertension arterielle est l'affection la plus meurtriere avec 51;11 pour cent de deces. Viennent ensuite les valvulopathies (15;5 pour cent); puis les insuffisances cardiaques et myocardiopathies. La letalite est elevee dans les insuffisances cardiaques de cause indeterminee (40 pour cent) qui constituent un groupe disparate