[Ageing and chronic diseases in Senegal. A comparison between rural (Ferlo) and urban (Dakar) populations]. / Vieillissement et pathologies chroniques au Sénégal. Comparaison entre des populations vivant en milieu rural (Ferlo) et urbain (Dakar).

The objectives of this study were: to compare the prevalence of hypertension, overweight and obesity in rural (Ferlo) and urban (Dakar) Senegalese populations aged 50 and over. The survey was conducted on individuals aged 50 and older living in the rural area (N=478) and in the urban area (N=220). We have collected data about age, gender, marital status, education level, and knowledge, treatment of hypertension, height, weight and blood pressure. We have observed that overweight and obesity were more prevalent in the urban area (Dakar) than in the rural one (Ferlo). The risk of overweight or obesity decreased when age increased, and women had weight problems more often than men. The prevalence of arterial hypertension was lower in rural area (55.86%) than in Dakar (66.36%), but increased at an older age. However, the logistic regression showed that these increased proportion of hypertension in Dakar is linked to the more important proportion of overweight and obese people in this area. Moreover, rates of knowledge, treatment and control of hypertension are particularly low in the rural area of Senegal. In conclusion, age-associated diseases should be better managed in Senegal, particularly in rural areas.

[Epidemiology of stroke at the Clinic of Neurology, Fann University Teaching Hospital, Dakar-Senegal]. / Epidémiologie des accidents vasculaires cérébraux (AVC) à la clinique neurologique du CHU de Fann, Dakar-Sénégal.

OBJECTIVE: Describe the epidemiology of stroke among patients hospitalized at the Clinic of Neurology , Fann University, Dakar-Senegal. METHODOLOGY: Retrospectively, sociodemographic, medical history and clinical data were collected for patients hospitalized for stroke from January 1st 2001 to November 1st 2003 and to whom a Computed Tomography scan of the brain was done. RESULTS: The population of study (314 patients) had a mean age of 61.3 years (+/-13.8) and was composed of 56.1% of women. The mean time of admission was 8.4 days (+/-23.5). The leading risk factors of stroke were hypertension, history of stroke and diabetes. Ischemic stroke represented 60.2%. The occurrence of stroke was associated with coma and hypertension. The letality rate was 24.8%. CONCLUSION: It is necessary to develop and implement health education program against risk factors for the population to reduce stroke morbidity and mortality.

Le Test Du Sénégal: Un Instrument Valide Et Fiable Pour Le Dépistage De La Démence Dans Une Population De Personnes Âgées Sénégalaises

"Description. Face au vieillissement de la population et au developpement de la demence; il est necessaire de disposer d'outil de depistage valide et fiable qui soit adapte au contexte socio-culturel. Objectif.Valider le Test du Senegal; un instrument de depistage de la demence aupres de la population agee senegalaise. Methode .Le Test du Senegal est un instrument de depistage de la demence incluant des items en rapport avec l'orientation; la memoire; l'attention/calcul; la praxie et le langage avec un score de 0-39 points. Sa validation s'est deroulee en deux phases aupres de personnes agees de 55 ans et plus frequentant le Centre Medicosocial et Universitaire de l'IPRES (Institut de Prevoyance Retraite du Senegal) pour des soins : 1) etude transversale aupres de 872 patients interviewes avec le questionnaire ""Vieillir au Senegal"" pour identifier les cas selon les criteres DSM IV-R; 2) une etude cas-temoins avec 116 patients (58 sujets dements et 58 temoins apparies par le sexe) pour la validation proprement dite. Le Test du Senegal a ete administre lors de la premiere phase; re-administre une semaine puis deux semaines apres lors de la deuxieme phase. La validite de critere; la validite de construit et la fidelite du test ont ete estimees. L'effet de l'age et de l'instruction sur la performance du test pour depister la demence a ete etudie avec des analyses de regression logistique. Resultat. Le Test du Senegal identifiait les cas de demence avec les caracteristiques suivantes au point de coupure de 28/29 : sensibilite : 93;1; specificite : 89;6; valeur predictive positive : 93;1; valeur predictive negative : 92;8; surface sous la courbe caracteristique de performance: 0;967; kappa : 0;82; coefficient de correlation intraclasse variant entre 0;67 et 0;87. L'age et l'education n'avaient aucune influence sur la performance au Test du Senegal. Conclusion Le Test du Senegal est un instrument valide et fiable pour le depistage de la demence dans la population agee senegalaise. Il pourra etre utilise comme outil de depistage de la demence dans les services de sante."

[Thoracic empyema in very old patients: two types of clinical presentation]. / Empyème pleural chez le sujet âgé: deux types de présentation clinique.

INTRODUCTION: Primitive thoracic empyema or empyema secondary to pneumonia represents a significant medical problem necessitating prolonged hospitalizations and increasing the rates of morbidity and mortality. Average patient age is 55 years and remains rare in very old patients (> 85). We report here two observations in very old patients, pointing out the diversity of the clinical presentation. EXEGESIS: Empyema thoracis is classically associated with underlying diseases. It is often polymicrobial but Gram-positive bacteria and anaerobes are more frequent than Gram-negative bacteria. The clinical presentation may be aspecific without any parameters in favor of infectious disease: the rapidity of pleural drainage and antibiotic therapy are the main prognostic factors. CONCLUSION: Because of the diversity of clinical presentation in the elderly population, and because of the efficiency of rapid treatment, geriatric physicians should perform an examination of pleural fluid when pleural effusion is unknown.

[A new case of tibial stress fracture as a complication of knee osteoarthritis]. / Une nouvelle observation de fracture de contrainte du tibia compliquant une gonarthrose.

PURPOSE OF STUDY: Transverse stress fractures of the proximal tibia are associated with osteoarthritis of the knee. This uncommon complication is presented in this case report as a non-union form along with a literature review. CASE REPORT: A fifty nine year old black African woman who had a thirteen-year history of osteoarthritis in both knees, was seen for increasing pain in the proximal part of the left leg without demonstrative traumatism. This homemaker measured 155 cm for 85 kgs. Clinical and radiological examination revealed a non-united stress fracture of the proximal part of the tibia and bilateral osteoarthritis of the knee with varus deformity (40 degrees on the left). A compression plate with bone grafting was used for treatment of the tibial non-union. DISCUSSION: Eleven other cases have been published on the rheumatological and orthopaedical literature. All the twelve patients were female, elderly, overweight, had marked varus deformities and a long history of osteoarthritis of the knee. A non-united stress fracture was a complication of osteoarthritis in four cases and treated with a compression plate. CONCLUSION: Stress fractures of the proximal tibia are an unusual mechanical and an uncommon complication of osteoarthritis of the knee. Biomechanic is perhaps one of the possible explication of these tibial stress fractures.

[Multiple enchondromatosis of the child apropos of 2 cases]. / Enchondromatose multiple de l'enfant à propos de deux observations.

Enchondromatosis or OLLIER's disease or multiple chondromatosis can be marked in his development by features like: malignant degeneration, pathological fracture, deformity or shortening of a limb. The limb deformity like a varus knee was for our two little patients their admission motive. The varus gravity (equal to 30%) was treated by a early tibial valgus osteotomy in one case and a femoral one in the other case. We evocate the unusualness of this disease, the clinical diagnostic difficulties composed by the knee varus in childhood, at the radiographic stage those of a benignant metaphysis or metaphyso-diaphysis tumor in the same year old. We discuss the osteotomy moment, its type, its site and expose the concomitant problems composed by the shortening of the limb.