ABSTRACT
The aim of the present study was to determine whether the concentration of blood cells in plasma varies seasonally in Kinshasa, DR Congo. Changes in hematocrit of 104 volunteer blood donors in good health were followed during the two seasons of the year - rainy and dry. Hematocrit was higher during the rainy season than during the dry season.
Subject(s)
Hematocrit , Democratic Republic of the Congo , Female , Humans , SeasonsABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: The present study aims at determining the influence of the seasons on the occurrence of pre-eclampsia in the county city of Kinshasa (DR Congo). PATIENTS AND METHOD: A multicentric descriptive study was carried out in three great maternity hospitals of this city between 2003 and 2007. The registers and files of the maternity wards and the units of intensive care were used for the gathering of medical data. The geographical data on the seasonal changes were provided by two great weather stations, which receive the satellite data on the town suit. These data include the temperature, the percentage of humidity and the rate of precipitation. This information allowed to define for each year the dry season and the season of rains. RESULTS: Overall, 17,592 pregnant women were studied. Among these, we could find 1492 (8.5 %) cases of pre-eclampsia and 319 (1.8 %) cases of eclampsia. The distribution of these pregnant women according to two seasons revealed that 11,358 (64 %) pregnancies were seen during the season of rain and that among these, 681 (6 %) were complicated by pre-eclampsia. During the dry season, 6234 (36 %) pregnancies occurred and among these we found 811 (13 %) cases of pre-eclampsia. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The seasonal distribution reveals that the incidence of pre-eclampsia is significantly higher during the dry season than during the rainy season, but probably is not directly related to meteorological factors but rather on the nutritional deficiencies caused by the low rate of precipitations.
