[Prevalence of geohelminth infections in children living in Kinshasa]. / Prévalence des géohelminthiases chez les enfants à Kinshasa.

BACKGROUND: Data on geohelminth infections in children in the Democratic Republic of Congo are sparse. The objective of this study was to document and compare the profile and prevalence in children living in Kinshasa. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted from May to October 2009 in children in the Biyela health area in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. Stool samples were collected from representative members of these two populations and analyzed for geohelminths (GH) using the Kato-Katz technique. RESULTS: In this series, 438 school-age children were included. There were 235 children recruited in schools and 203 in households (77.8%). Overall prevalence of geohelminths was 66.9%. The specific prevalence was 69.4% in children recruited in schools and 64.0% in children recruited in households. The frequency of Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, and Ancylostoma species were, respectively, 56.2%, 38.7%, and 1.7% in schools and 39.9%, 51.7%, and 1.0% in households. A. lumbricoides was significantly more prevalent in schools (56.2% vs 39.9%; OR=2.0; 95%CI: 1.3-3.0), T. trichiura was significantly less prevalent in schools (38.7% vs 51.7%; OR=0.6; 95% CI: 0.4-0.9). There were no significant differences in the prevalence of Ancylostoma between schools and households. CONCLUSION: GH is a health problem among Biyela children. Preventive measures and education of the population need to be emphasized in attempts to reduce the prevalence of geohelminths in these children.

[Current level of information about sickle cell disease among medical students at Brussels, Belgium]. / Évaluation du niveau d'information sur la drépanocytose des étudiants en médecine à Bruxelles, Belgique.

AIM: The increasing prevalence of sickle cell disease (SCD) is an important issue in Belgium due to migrations from high prevalence areas. It has become the most common genetic disease in Belgium. The impact is important in terms of health service delivery, especially since Belgian physicians have little experience with the disease. This study was designed to determine the current level of knowledge about SCD among medical students at the Louvain's Catholic University, Brussels. METHOD: This study was part of a larger cross-sectional and descriptive study carried out at the Louvain's Catholic University in December 2010. Data were collected from medical students using self-administered structured questionnaires. RESULTS: In this study, 152 students were enrolled. All respondents had heard about SCD, the majority during their medical school curriculum. All students (100%) thought SCD is an African disease. A majority recognized that SCD is a serious illness and that it is linked with malaria. Anemia was the most frequently cited symptoms (98.0%) followed by splenomegaly (77.5%). Only 51% reported pain as a symptom. A majority knew they would have patients with the disease in their future career but only 2.3% of students considered specializing in the field of SCD. Using criteria for scoring information delivery, awareness about SCD was among the lowest in Belgium. CONCLUSION: For Belgian medical students, SCD is an exotic disease. Too little information about SCD is delivered. Continuing medical education about SCD can be recommended for medical students in Belgium.

Tardive hip disease diagnosis in a young adult with sickle cell disease.

BACKGROUND: Hip disease is a complication of Sickle Cell Disease most commonly occurs during adolescence and early adult life that constitutes from 3.3% to 26.7% % of cases in SCD patients. Damage to mature epiphysis may cause persistent symptoms requiring surgery which may need revision if it becomes loose with wear. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a 27-year-old male who was diagnosed with hip disease following investigations for persistent pain in right hip associated with limp and painful limitation of movement. Avascular necrosis of the right femoral head was identified on a hip X-ray. CONCLUSION: Further investigation will be necessary to identify risk factors in SCD Congolese patient and each SCD patient must be screened for predisposing factors.