Gayet Wernicke's Encephalopathy after Covid-19 in Elderly Subjects in Tropical Environments: Study of Six (6) Observations in Conakry

In sub-Saharan Africa, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused severe malnutrition in elderly populations with the appearance of vitamin deficiencies, in particular thiamine responsible for Gayet Wernicke's encephalopathy (EGW). We present a series of six (6) patients hospitalized in the Neurology Department of the CHU Ignace Deen for the management of a brain syndrome with vigilance disorders after recovery from COVID-19, including oculomotor disorders, motor incoordination on a course of severe weight loss. The six patients underwent an evaluation of malnutrition by determining the WHO body mass index, the Detsky index, the serum albumin assay, the thiamine assay and a neuroradiological assessment (MRI) and an electroencephalogram (EEG) examination although this does not seem necessary for diagnosis. Study of nutritional status: weight loss greater than 5%, patients in Desky group B and C, plasma albumin<30 g/l, lowered thiamine and MRI neuroradiological data: by the existence of hypersignals in certain regions of the neocortex, certain gray nuclei, the mammillary bodies the thalamic nuclei close to the wall of the 3rd ventricle and the regions bordering the 4th ventricle sign Gayet Wernicke's encephalopathy syndrome. This study shows a stereotyped clinical, biological, neuroradiological and evolutionary profile of Gayet Wernicke's encephalopathy in elderly subjects recovered from Covid-19 with proven malnutrition. These results are useful for the therapeutic and prognostic discussion.

Psychosocial impacts of COVID-19 in the Guinean population. An online cross-sectional survey

Guinea, like many other African countries, has been facing an unprecedented COVID-19 outbreak, since March 2020. In April 2020, Guinean National agency for health security recorded 1351 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 313 recoveries and 07 deaths. To address this health crisis, some drastic measures were implemented to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Those measures might potentially cause some psychological problems among Guineans. Thus, we conducted this study to assess the psychosocial impacts of COVID-19 in the Guinean population. We carried out an online cross-sectional survey among internet users in Guinea. A free e-survey platform was used, and questionnaires were sent to internet users. The study ran from May 1 through May 10 2020. Participation in the study was voluntary. Data collection was based on sociodemographic information and self-reported questionnaires: Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) for stress evaluation, Penn state worry questionnaire (PSWQ), and an adapted Social Psychological Measurements of COVID-19. A total of 280 participants took part in the study;responses from 5 participants were deleted because of incompleteness. The average age of participants was 28.9 [95% CI: 28.1;29.6]. Most of participants were male 65.5% [95% CI: 59.5%;71.1%]. Unemployed participants stood for 48.7% [95% CI: 42.7%;54.8%]. IES-R scale for stress evaluation yielded the following findings: 19.6% (mild), 5.23% (moderate) and 9.15% (severe);82.8% and 17.2% of participants had respectively reported low and moderate worry. No significant statistical association was found between sociodemographic variables and traumatic events (IES-R and PSWQ). However, 82% of our participants had to cope with the negative impacts of COVID-19. Although there were few cases of traumatic events, negative impacts of COVID-19 on study participants deserve to be underlined. So, further investigations are necessary to identify and disentangle specific psychosocial problems in different Guinean socio-cultural contexts.

Post-campaign coverage of vitamin A supplementation and parasite control among children aged 6-59 months in a COVID-19 setting in guinea

The objective of this study was to determine the rate of post-supplementation vitamin A coverage among children aged 6-59 months after the first round of distribution in the year 2020 in a covid-19 setting.

Prédiction de la gravité de la COVID-19 à l’admission à l’aide du Score NEWS2 : étude transversale au Maroc

Introduction Certains patients atteints de la COVID-19 sont plus susceptibles de développer une forme grave ou des complications de la maladie. Leur identification à l’admission faciliterait la prise en charge immédiate. Le « National Early Warning Score 2 » (NEWS2) est un score de stratification des risques chez les patients atteints de septicémie et de pneumonie. L’OMS et le Royal College of Physicians of London (RCP) recommandent l’utilisation du score NEWS2 dans le cadre de la COVID-19 pour la stratification du risque chez les patients. L’objectif de cette étude était d’identifier les patients ayant une forme grave à l’admission aux urgences à l’aide du score NEWS2 au Maroc. Méthodes Il s’agit d’une étude transversale réalisée à l’Hôpital universitaire Cheikh Khalifa de Casablanca, Maroc du 15 avril au 15 juin 2020. Seuls les patients âgés de 18 ans ou plus, avec COVID-19 confirmé par RT-PCR ont été inclus dans cette étude. Les données sociodémographiques et les manifestations cliniques à l’admission ont été collectées et le score NEWS2 a été calculé pour chaque patient. Les patients ayant une forme grave ont été définis comme étant ceux qui sont admis à l’unité de soins intensifs. La régression logistique a été utilisée pour explorer la prédiction de la gravité de la COVID-19 par le Score NEWS2. Résultats Au total, 134 patients ont été retenus dans notre étude avec une moyenne d’âge de 50,8±17,9 dont 54,5 % étaient des hommes, 30,8 % présentaient un état grave. La moyenne d’âge dans le groupe des patients graves était significativement plus élevée que celle dans le groupe non grave (64,20±12,13 versus 44,03±16,66 ans ;p<0,001). La comorbidité était significative chez le groupe des patients graves (75,6 % versus 28,1 % ;p<0,001). La moyenne du score NEWS2 était élevée chez les patients graves comparativement aux non graves (5,9±2,4 versus 1,2±1,5 ;p<0,001). Après ajustement sur les facteurs de confusion, OR ajusté=3,03 (1,85-4,94), p<0,001. Conclusion Nos résultats montrent que le score NEWS2 réalisé à l’admission permet d’identifier les patients présentant des états graves. Il pourrait fournir aux équipes d’urgence un outil complémentaire efficace de stratification des risques pour les patients gravement atteints de la COVID-19. D’autres études avec un grand échantillon seraient intéressantes pour confirmer les résultats de cette étude. Figure : http://extranet.insight-outside.fr/upload/compte1352/Base/inscriptions_projets/image/100131-image.pdf

Preparing for the COVID-19 pandemic response in a country emerging from an Ebola Epidemic: assessment of health workers' knowledge, attitudes and practices on coronavirus (COVID-19) in Guinea

On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization designated the outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Scope (USPPI). The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices of medical personnel on the prevention of Covid-2019. A cross-sectional study among front-line health workers in the health facilities in the city of Conakry was carried out. The knowledge and attitude score were performed and categorized in 2: Good if at the average score and bad if < 50%. Logistic regression models were conducted to identify factors associated with knowledge and attitude. Among 548 health workers surveyed, 70.6% had a good knowledge of Covid-19. Among the health personnel interviewed, 57.7% had a good attitude towards a suspected case of Covid-19. Independent factors associated with poor knowledge of Covid-19 prevention were sex, health facility, and staff grade. As for poor attitude, the associated factors were knowledge of Ebola cases reported in the facility and the rank of the health staff. The health personnel have good knowledge of the virus but the attitudes are not related to knowledge. This study could serve as a basis for reorienting interventions involving front-line staff.