[Time-course of neonatal precocious mortality between 1994 and 2003 at the Dakar University Teaching Hospital]. / Evolution de la mortalité néonatale précoce entre 1994 et 2003 au CHU de Dakar.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate early neonatal mortality at the University Teaching Hospital and assess changes in the rate and causes during the last ten years. MATERIAL AND METHOD: We performed a retrospective analysis of neonatal deaths recorded at the Neonatal and Premature Unit (NPU) in 2003. The results were compared with earlier evaluations. Comparison of proportions was used for statistical analysis to eliminate the random element in rate variations. The significance threshold was < or =5%. RESULTS: We registered 364 neonatal deaths: 243 among 4853 newborns in our maternity ward and 121 among 213 newborns transferred from a referring maternity. Early neonatal mortality rate 45.5 per 1,000 live births. Mortality particularly concerned newborns with a birth weight < or =2,500 grams (66%) and Apgar scores < or =6. Early neonatal mortality fell significantly since 1994, while overall mortality remained high among newborns transferred from referring maternities. The most frequent causes were premature birth (49%), acute fetal distress (23%) and neonatal infection (18%). CONCLUSION: Early neonatal mortality has decreased remains at a high level. It could be improved by limiting the number of premature births, neonatal suffering and neonatal infection. In a parallel direction we recommend organizing a perinatal network in Dakar.

Liver cysts in Congolese patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease follow a family pattern.

BACKGROUND: It is now well established that at least two genes are associated with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). OBJECTIVE: To analyse the clinical expression of ADPKD in Congolese patients and to compare ADPKD expression between families. METHODS: Following informed consent, ADPKD patients admitted to Brazzaville University Hospital (Congo) were reviewed and their relatives aged 20 years and older were screened by means of a clinical examination, abdominal ultrasound, urinalysis and determination of serum creatinine. RESULTS: We found 7 patients with ADPKD, belonging to 7 distinct families, and identified 100 relatives of whom 50, aged from 20 to 68 years, were diagnosed as having ADPKD. Polycystic kidney disease was associated with polycystic liver in 4 families. In the remaining 3 families no liver cysts were found. No family had a mixture of members with kidney cysts only and members with kidney and liver cysts. This finding was age-independent. CONCLUSION: Liver cysts follow a family pattern in our ADPKD patients. We suggest that our patients may carry at least two different genes for ADPKD, one of which may be associated with renal cysts alone and other with both renal and liver cysts.