[Cervical spondylodiscitis in hospital environment in Lomé [Togo]]

The spine is a frequent site of infection but cervical spine localization seems to be rare. To determine the frequency and features of cervical spondylodiscitis in patients attending the Sylvanus Olympio University Hospital Center in Togo. A retrospective study of patients hospitalized in the Department of Rheumatology over a 20-year period was conducted. The positive diagnosis of infectious spondylodiscitis has been clinical and radiological. The etiological presumption was founded on clinical and epidemiological arguments. Of the 2881 patients hospitalized, 356 had infectious spondylodiscitis of which 15 cases of cervical spondylodiscitis [eight men and seven women]. The average age of these 15 patients was 37 years at the onset of the disease of which the mean disease duration was six months. The disease was essentially located at the levels of C3C4 [seven patients] and C5C6 [four patients]. Spondylodiscitis was related to presumptive tuberculosis in 10 patients and banal germ in the remaining five others. There were three HIV infected patients. The onset of the symptomatology was progressive in all the 10 patients suffering from tuberculosis spondylodiscitis. The symptomatology has been characterized by inflammatory pains [10 patients], mechanic pains [five patients], and a gibbosity [four patients]. This study attests of the scarcity of the cervical spondylodiscitis

[Semiological profile of gout in patients with AA, AS and AC hemoglobins]

To search a possible difference in gout and in the risk factors for gout expression according to the hemoglobin in patients seen at the lome teaching hospital rheumatology clinic [Togo]. Medical records of patients seen during 17 years were studied. The patients affected by the gout and answering New York criteria have been included. All patients object of the comparison, benefitted from a hemoglobin electrophoresis and the search of possible risk factors for gout. Among the 14902 patients seen over a 17 year period, 214 had gout [210 males, 4 famales]. These 214 patients were carriers of an A A hemoglobin [147 cases], of an AS hemoglobin [41 cases], or of an AC [hemoglobin [26 cases]. The alcoholism, the obesity, and the arterial hypertension were the main risk factors associated with gout in 207 patients [97%]. Semiological and risk factors comparison according to the type of hemoglobin didn't show statistically significant difference. it results from this study that the AS hemoglobin and AC hemoglobin don't exercise any influence on the gout Semiological expression. Thus, the presence of one of these hemoglobins in gout patient must exercise no influence in the diagnostic gait and in the etiological investigation

[Topographic patterna of osteoarthritis of appendicular joints in patients attending a teaching hospital clinic]

Determine the prevalence and topographic patterns of osteoarthritis. Medical records of patients seen at the Lome Teaching Hospital rheumatology clinic [logo] were studied retrospectively. Among the 12251 patients seen over a 15 year period, 1085 had appendicular osteoarthritis. Mean age at onset was 50, 3 years [extremes: 7 and 85 years], and mean duration of osteoarthritis was 4, 4 years. Principal distribution of affected joints was as follows: knee, 993 patients [844 females, 85%; 149 males]; hip, 77 patients [primary osteoarthritis: 36 patients, secondary osteoarthritis: 41 patients]; scapulohumeral joint, 5 patients; and fingers, 5 patients. At the knee, the lesions involved the medial femorotibial compartment in 493 patients [unilateral: 117 patients, bilateral: 376 patients], the lateral femorotibial compartment in 223 patients [unilateral: 74 patients, bilateral: 149 patients] and the patellofemoral compartment in 42 patients [unilateral: 17 patients, bilateral: 25 patients]. Mean age at onset of knee osteoarthritis was 50, 3 years. Among females with knee osteoarthritis, 83%were obese and 63, 5%had varus or valgus deformities. This study confirms that in black Africa the high prevalence of knee osteoarthritis contrasts with the low prevalence of primary osteoarthritis of the hip and of osteoarthritis of the fingers. Female sex, obesity, and varus or valgus deformities are the main risk factors for femorotibial osteoarthritis in black Africa