Impact of biomass fuel smoke on respiratory health of children under 15 years old in Madagascar.

BACKGROUND: Children exposed to biomass used in households are at risk to develop diseases or respiratory symptoms. In Madagascar more than 95% of households use it daily. The main objective is to study the impact of chronic exposure to biomass on respiratory health of children under 15 years old in Madagascar. METHODS: Descriptive cross-sectional study conducted with questionnaires among urban and rural population of Antananarivo and Mahajanga provinces between 2016 and 2017. Variables were collected: number of hours spent in kitchen per day, respiratory symptoms and spirometric data. Categorized symptoms score and exposure index expressing chronic exposure to biomass were analyzed with multinomial logistic regression models. RESULTS: Of the 661 children included in the analysis, 27.7% had 1 respiratory symptom and 29.3% had 2 or more respiratory symptoms. Moderate exposure index (aOR=1.57; CI95%=[1.30-1.89]; p<0.001) and high exposure index (aOR=1.76; CI95%=[1.39-2.24]; p<0.001) were significantly associated with 1 respiratory symptom, adjusted with provinces, household members and visitors smoking, perceived discomfort related to air pollution and birthweight. Exposure index was not significantly associated with an increased risk of having 2 or more respiratory symptoms (p = 0.754). CONCLUSION: Respiratory symptoms were associated with exposure to biomass, living in coastal areas, birthweight, tobacco and perceived discomfort related to air pollution. Recommendations and actions must be implemented in order to improve respiratory health related to biomass among children.

Diagnostic challenge of dyspnea in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic wave: a case report.

Background: Since its discovery, COVID-19 has often been the first diagnosis of dyspnea and asthenia, especially during the pandemic waves. However, it is not always COVID-19. We report a particular case of a late-diagnosed HIV-positive patient in Madagascar. Case presentation: A 21-year-old male patient was admitted to a hospital center in Antananarivo for dyspnea and poor general condition. Physical examination revealed hypoxemia of 85% on room air. His chest X-ray showed bilateral reticular-micronodular opacities. He was suspected and treated for COVID-19. On the 15th day of hospitalization, HIV-1 infection complicated by probable pneumocystis was diagnosed. On the other hand, a multimetastatic testicular cancer was also suspected. The patient died after a few hours of hospitalization in the intensive care unit. Conclusion: This was a case of an HIV-positive patient belatedly diagnosed in the complications stage during the COVID-19 pandemic wave. The investigation of the differential diagnoses remains crucial to avoid serial misdiagnosis and to adjust therapeutic management.

Progressive pulmonary tuberculosis associated with bronchial dilatation: A clinical image.

Bronchial dilatation is a potentially serious and irreversible clinical and radiological entity. It is an often underdiagnosed condition, particularly in developing countries. This clinical image presents bronchial dilatations of casual discovery associated with radiographic images suggestive of progressive pulmonary tuberculosis. Thoracic imaging remains crucial in the diagnosis of bronchopulmonary diseases.

[Characteristics of chest pain in acute coronary syndromes seen in the cardiology department of Befelatanana (Madagascar)]. / Caractéristiques des douleurs thoraciques au cours des syndromes coronariens aigus vus au service de cardiologie de Befelatanana (Madagascar).

INTRODUCTION: Chest pain is one of the different elements of orientation for the diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome. Sometimes its clinical presentation is misleading. The objective of this study was to describe the characteristics of chest pain during an acute coronary syndrome in the cardiology department of the Joseph Raseta Befelatanana University Hospital Center, Antananarivo, Madagascar. METHODS: We carried out a cross-sectional, descriptive study of 10 months from January 2019 to October 2019. All patients diagnosed with acute coronary syndrome during this period were included. RESULTS: Sixty-five cases were included. A "typical chest pain" was only encountered in 7.7% of cases. Advanced age (p = 0.04) and sedentary lifestyle (p = 0.03) were associated with the occurrence of silent myocardial ischemia, and. hypertension with a prolonged duration (≥15 minutes) of chest pain (p = 0.03). Dyslipidemia was associated with atypical irradiation of chest pain (p = 0.003). Alcoholism had an impact on pain triggered by effort (p = 0.01) and relieved by rest (p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: The current symptomatology of acute coronary syndrome is increasingly atypical. Knowledge of the factors that can influence the different characteristics of chest pain could serve as a benchmark in clinical practice in our population.

Spontaneous bilateral intraorbital hematoma: A particular form of sickle cell disease complications in children.

Spontaneous bilateral intraorbital hematoma is a rare complication of sickle cell disease in children. Imaging examinations are of paramount importance in the diagnosis and conditioning of the management processes in order to avoid complications that can compromise the visual function prognosis.

COVID-19 complicated with chronic necrotizing pulmonary aspergillosis and aspergilloma progressing to fibrosing aspergillosis: A case report.

Aspergillosis superinfections have been reported as acute complications of COVID-19. We report a rare case of combined chronic necrotizing pulmonary aspergillosis, aspergilloma, and fibrosing aspergillosis in a 31-year-old woman with a history of COVID-19. Chest scan remains an important imaging method assisting in the diagnosis and management of post-COVID-19 patients.

Pulmonary arteriovenous malformation revealing Osler-Weber-Rendu disease: A case report.

Osler-Weber-Rendu disease is a genetic disease characterized by mucocutaneous and visceral telangiectasias. Pulmonary arteriovenous malformation is one of the main visceral complications revealing Osler-Weber-Rendu disease. The present case was a 34-year-old woman with exertional dyspnea and severe hypoxemia revealing pulmonary arteriovenous malformations on chest CT scan.

[Diagnostic delay in bronchopulmonary cancers at the USFR Befelatanana Pneumology, Antananarivo, Madagascar]. / Le délai diagnostique des cancers broncho-pulmonaires vus à l'USFR de Pneumologie Befelatanana, Antananarivo, Madagascar.

The time between clinical symptoms onset and the diagnosis of bronchial cancer should be as short as possible so that it can be managed early and effectively. In Madagascar, this diagnostic delay is unknown. Therefore this study aims to evaluated the diagnostic delay of bronchopulmonary cancers at the the USFR Befelatanana Pneumology, Antananarivo, Madagascar. We conducted a retrospective descriptive study of patients with bronchopulmonary cancers diagnosed at the USFR Befelatanana Pneumology over the period 1st January 2011 to 31st December 2015 (5 years). All patients hospitalized during the study period and receiving anatomopathologically-confirmed diagnosis of bronchopulmonary cancer were included in the study. During the study period we collected data from 43 medical records of patients with bronchopulmonary cancer confirmed histologically, reflecting a rate of 0.64% of hospitalized patients. Pre-hospital delay, hospital delay and total delay were 171.74 days, 13.97 days and 185.71 days respectively. The time between symptom onset and consultation with a doctor was less than three months in 30 cases (69.76%), between 3 and 6 months in 8 cases (18.60%). Pre-hospital delay was very long according to the international recommendation for delayed diagnosis of bronchopulmonary cancers. An effort should be made to improve the diagnostic delay.

First results of hormone receptors' status in Malagasy women with invasive breast cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Breast cancer is the most common malignancy tumor amongst Malagasy women registered at the pathology unit of the "Institut Pasteur de Madagascar". In Madagascar, there is no laboratory practicing hormone receptors' status on these tumors. Until now no study about hormone receptors' status of Malagasy women with invasive breast cancer was performed. So it will be the first study talking about this topic. The aim of this study was to determine hormone receptors' status in Malagasy women with invasive breast cancer. METHODS: This retrospective and descriptive study was based on patients' medical files from 2009 to 2011. It included all invasive breast cancer diagnosed in Malagasy women at the pathology laboratory located at the "Institut Pasteur de Madagascar", in Antananarivo. Along this period this laboratory has sent paraffin blocks of invasive breast carcinoma in two pathological laboratories in France. RESULTS: We collected 77 cases of invasive breast cancer along this period. The mean age was 48.8 +/- 10.7, ranging from 26 years to 70 years. There were 46.8 % (n = 36) women with progesterone receptor positive (PR+), 53.2 % (n = 41) with progesterone receptor negative (PR-). For the estrogen receptor, 61.0 % (n = 47) were positive and 36.4 % (n = 28) were negative. ER+/PR+ represented 44.2 % (n = 34); ER-/PR- 33.8 % (n = 26); ER +/ PR- 16.8 % (n = 13); ER-/PR+ and ER-/PR- represented respectively 2.6 % (n = 2). CONCLUSION: Patients in our study had more important rate of ER-, PR- and a less important rate of ER+/PR+, PR+. These results suggest that more study related to Hormone Receptor profile should be conducted in Malagasy women with breast cancer.