Epidemiological, clinical, and treatment-related features of children with cerebral palsy in Cameroon: A hospital-based study.

BACKGROUND: Pediatric cerebral palsy (CP) remains a poorly studied public health problem in sub-Saharan Africa, especially in Cameroon. This study aimed at determining the epidemiological, clinical, and treatment-related characteristics of CP in Cameroonian children. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the pediatric department of the Douala Gynaeco-Obstetric and Pediatric Hospital (DGOPH). Medical records of children attending the department during the study period were reviewed. Only medical records of children aged from 3 months to 15 years and diagnosed with CP were included. Parents/guardians of children presenting with CP were contacted and invited to come with their children to the DGOPH where they were examined by a pediatric neurologist. A questionnaire designed for the study was used to collect sociodemographic, clinical, paraclinical, and treatment data for each child. RESULTS: Out of the 4064 medical records reviewed, CP was diagnosed in 198 children (4.86%). These children were predominantly male (53.6%), aged 3-24 months (54.0%). Perinatal disorders were the main CP etiologies, especially neonatal asphyxia (55.1%), jaundice (32.8%), and neonatal infections (25.8%). Most of the children were born at term (81.6%) and by vaginal delivery (62.6%), with a normal birth weight (83.2%). Several comorbidities were found including speech delay (74.2%) and epilepsy (34.4%). The patients with CP presented predominantly with the spastic form of the disease, especially spastic quadriplegia (44.3%). Less than half of the children were managed at hospital, while the majority of parents were following various traditional treatments. CONCLUSION: Addressing preventable causes of CP and improving awareness in the population will be of great help to reduce CP in Cameroon.

[Access to the management of HIV infected children: Overview of the healthcare supply in Cameroon in 2014]. / Accès à la prise en charge de l'infection VIH pédiatrique ­ État des lieux de l'offre des soins au Cameroun en 2014.

BACKGROUND: In Cameroon in 2012, the proportion (15%) of children eligible for antiretroviral treatment (ART) was one of the lowest among the 21 Global Fund priority countries. The objective of this study was to carry out a situational analysis of the existing care offer for pediatric HIV in Cameroon. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted over a 4-month period (April to August 2014) in 12 healthcare facilities in 7 regions of Cameroon selected by systematic sampling. The data were collected in a self-administered questionnaire filled out by the caregiving and administrative personnel included in the study. RESULTS: All in all, 142 persons in charge of pediatric HIV treatment were included in the study, of whom 115 were working at the operational level: 59 (51.2%) health personnel, 44 (38.3%) community agents and 12 (10.4%) department heads; the other 27 exercised responsibilities at the regional (19) and the local (8) levels. An overwhelming majority of the caregivers involved in pediatric VIH treatment were nurses, a factor necessitating the delegation of medical tasks institutionalized in Cameroon. Few standardized nationwide documents take into account these treatment modalities. Inadequate dissemination of the documents at all levels of the healthcare pyramid may justify the non-compliance with the care protocols that has been observed in the training programs dedicated to the subject. CONCLUSION: The updating and large-scale dissemination of standardized nationwide documents taking into account the specificities of HIV-infected children are required to improve implementation at the operational level of the Cameroonian healthcare system of the existing guidelines for pediatric HIV treatment.

[Neonatal morbidity and mortality in a low-resource urban district hospital of Douala, Cameroon]. / Morbidité et mortalité néonatale dans un hôpital de district urbain à ressources limitées à Douala, Cameroun.

INTRODUCTION: In countries with limited health-care resources, achieving the fourth Millennium Development Goal recommended by the WHO requires the reduction of neonatal mortality. Interventions at different levels of the community and the health-care system are needed, including in district hospitals. METHOD: This was a descriptive study in the neonatal unit of the District Hospital of Bonassama/Douala in Cameroon that analyzed neonatal mortality and morbidity to discover possible intervention levers. The clinical, sociodemographic, and outcome data of hospitalized newborns were recorded from November 2009 to May 2012. The analysis was performed anonymously. RESULTS: During 29 months, 813 infants were hospitalized; 71% were delivered naturally and 16% by cesarean section. Globally, 20% were premature, 55% were male, and 24% had a birth weight of less than 2500 g. At admission, 35% of the infants had hyperthermia and 29% hypothermia. The most common diagnoses were early infection (77%), late infection (22%), jaundice (17%), early adaptation disorders (18%), and hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (2.2%). The hospital mortality rate was 8% and the main diagnoses associated with death were: low birth weight, prematurity, hypothermia, and early adaptation disorders with and without encephalopathy. No excess mortality was found for neonates treated for infection. CONCLUSION: In developing sub-Saharan countries, the main causes of neonatal mortality must be taken care of by hospitals at a peripheral district level. Epidemiological knowledge of neonatal diseases at the peripheral level (district) allows for an estimation of the requirements in terms of competence and equipment. Specific needs for transfer to a superior care unit can be estimated but the high transfer risk and the limited resources of the referral center should be taken into account.