Complications des prothèses valvulaires mécaniques: à propos de cinq cas au service de cardiologie du Centre Hospitalier de Libreville / Complications of mechanical prothetic heart valves : about five cases in the cardiology Department of the Libreville University Hospital Center

Introduction : La présence de matériel prothétique intracardiaque expose au risque thromboembolique, infectieux et/ou hémorragique. L'objectif de ce travail était de décrire les particularités cliniques et étiologiques des complications de prothèses valvulaires mécaniques.Cas cliniques : Il s'agit d'une série de cinq observations de patients présentant une complication de prothèses valvulaires mécaniques colligées au service de cardiologie du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Libreville durant la période allant de Janvier 2017 à Décembre 2021. Les complications rapportées étaient deux cas de thrombose obstructive de prothèse, un accident vasculaire cérébral sur microthrombose, une endocardite infectieuse et un accident hémorragique sous antivitamines K. Ce dernier était responsable d'un décès. Conclusion : Ces cas cliniques mettent en exergue les difficultés liées au suivi de l'anticoagulation au long cours chez les patients porteurs de prothèse valvulaire mécanique dans notre contexte. La mise en place d'un programme d'éducation thérapeutique pourrait diminuer ces complications parfois létales

Introduction: The presence of intracardiac prosthetic material exposes to thromboembolic, infectious and/or hemorrhagic risk. The objective of this study was to describe the clinical and etiological particularities of mechanical valve prostheses complications. Clinical cases: five observations of patients presenting with a complication of mechanical valve prostheses collected in the cardiology department of the Libreville University Hospital Center during the period from January 2017 to December 2021, were reported. Complications observed were two cases of obstructive prosthesis thrombosis, a cerebrovascular stroke coming from microthrombosis, an infective endocarditis and a hemorrhagic accident under vitamin K antagonists. This last was responsible for the one death. Conclusion: These clinical cases highlight the difficulties related to the monitoring of long-term anticoagulation in patients with mechanical valve prosthesis in our context. The development of a therapeutic education program could reduce these potentially lethal complications

Les syndromes coronariens aigus chez les patients COVID-19: à propos de trois cas au Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Libreville, au Gabon / Acute coronary syndromes in COVID-19 patients : about three cases in the Libreville University Hospital Center, in Gabon

Introduction : Les thromboses artérielles, notamment coronaires, font partie des nombreuses manifestations extrapulmonaires de l'infection au coronavirus SARSCoV-2 dans les pays industrialisés. Cas cliniques: Ce travail rapporte trois observations de patients hospitalisés au Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Libreville pour lesquels un diagnostic de syndrome coronarien aigu avait été retenu dans un contexte de Covid-19 durant la période allant du 1er mai au 30 septembre 2020. La première rapporte l'échec d'une thrombolyse avec la formation précoce d'un thrombus intraventriculaire gauche chez un patient de 59 ans ayant présenté un syndrome coronaire aigu antérieur étendu. Cette évolution particulière témoigne du caractère hautement inflammatoire et prothrombogène de la Covid-19. Les deux autres observations mettent l'accent sur les présentations parfois atypiques et les difficultés diagnostiques des syndromes coronariens aigus dans cette situation à Libreville. Conclusion : Le diagnostic et la prise en charge des syndromes coronariens aigus sont complexes dans le contexte d'infection à SARSCoV-2 dans nos régions

Introduction: Arterial thrombosis, particularly coronary thrombosis, is one of the many extrapulmonary manifestations of infection with the SARSCoV-2 coronavirus in industrialized countries. Clinical cases: This work reports three observations of patients hospitalized at the Center Hospitalier Universitaire de Libreville for whom a diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome had been made in Covid-19 during the period from May 1 to September 30, 2020. The first reports a thrombolysis failure with early formation of a left intraventricular thrombus in a 59-year-old patient with extensive anterior acute coronary syndrome. This particular evolution demonstrates the highly inflammatory and prothrombogenic context of Covid-19.The other two observations focus on the atypical presentations and the diagnostic difficulties of acute coronary syndromes in this infectious atmosphere in Libreville. Conclusion: The diagnosis and management of acute coronary syndromes are difficult in the context of SARSCoV-2 infection in our regions.

Distal sensory polyneuropathy among HIV-infected patients at Parakou University Hospital, Benin, 2011.

Distal sensory polyneuropathy (DSP) is the most frequent neurological complication among HIV patients, and its risk increases with use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). We aimed to assess the prevalence of DSP and the factors associated with it among HIV-infected outpatients treated at Parakou University Hospital. This cross-sectional study took place from April 15 to July 15, 2011, and included 262 patients. All patients underwent a neurological examination by two neurologists with training and clinical experience in these examinations and in the Brief Peripheral Neuropathy Screening (BPNS), which was the primary tool used here. Data from nutritional status (body mass index: BMI), social and demographic information, HAART status, and CD4 count were recorded. The factors associated with DSP were studied with multivariate analysis, using a logistic regression model and a significance level of 0.05. The study included 60 men (22.9 %). Patients' ages ranged from 16 to 74 years and averaged 36.8±10 years. All patients but one patient were infected by HIV type 1 only; that one was coinfected by types 1 and 2. The mean BMI was 22.5+/-4.2 kg/m2. In all, 213 (81.3 %) received HAART, and the mean CD4 count was 355.0 cells/mm3+/-236.1. The prevalence of DSP was 42.4 %. The factors associated with it on univariate analysis were age, marital status, HAART status, duration of HIV infection, and duration of HAART. Only advanced age (OR 1.8, 95 % CI 1.1-5.3) and HAART use (OR 2.3, 95 % CI 1.5-4.9) were associated with DSP in the multivariate analysis. The main symptoms were paresthesia (numbness:75.7%; burning: 39.6%; pins and needles sensation 32.4 %) and pain (23.4 %). Vibration perception at the toes was missing or reduced for 84.4 %. According to the sensory symptoms grade, 93.7 % of patients were classified in Grades 2 or 3. This study showed that the prevalence of DSP is high and that it is associated with age and HAART.

[Prevalence of epilepsy in adults at Tourou, in northern Benin]. / Enquête sur la prévalence de l'épilepsie chez l'adulte à Tourou au nord du Bénin en 2011.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine the prevalence of epilepsy and the factors associated with it in Tourou in northern Benin. METHODS: We conducted a door-to-door survey in the village of Tourou, in Parakou in northern Benin from March 1-31, 2011. It included 1031 subjects older than 15 years selected by two-stage cluster sampling. The diagnosis of epilepsy was based on the definition of the International League against Epilepsy, and the subjects were interviewed with its diagnostic questionnaire. The data were analyzed with SPSS 16.0 software. The associations between epilepsy and various factors were estimated by calculating their odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: The study included 1031 adults with a mean age of 44.03 ± 18.26 years; 682 were men. Seven subjects had epilepsy. Its prevalence was thus 7‰, 95% CI [0.2 to 20]. In the univariate analysis the factors associated with epilepsy were age (p<10(-4)), not working (p = 0.002), and length of residence in Tourou (p = 0.013). In the multivariate analysis, only age less than 25 years was significantly associated with epilepsy (OR: 11.2 [2.1; 60.9]. Generalized tonic-clonic seizures were the more frequent form of epilepsy (71.4%). All patients had had at least one seizure in the last six months. Only one patient of the 7 had used antiepileptic drug therapy (phenobarbital). CONCLUSION: This study, like others in Africa, suggests that epilepsy is not rare among young adults at Tourou in Northern Benin and that treatment of epilepsy in this area is inadequate.

[Epidemiology of epilepsy in sub-Saharan Africa: a review]. / Epidémiologie de l'épilepsie en Afrique subsaharienne : une revue de la littérature.

Epilepsy is, above all tropical, moreover, very african in its frequency and gravity. Data on the prevalence of epilepsy shows it to be two or three times more prevalent in tropical zones than in industrialized countries in non tropical areas, however it is rare to find data on the incidence and prognosis of epilepsy in sub-Saharan Africa. It is difficult to determine the relative contribution of each of the causes of epilepsy. Only a few case-control studies have been carried out in sub-Saharan Africa. Infectious diseases, in particular parasitic diseases such as neurocysticercosis or cerebral malaria, seem to be the cause of the majority of the cases of epilepsy. However it is necessary to do additional epidemiological studies to determine the etiologies of epilepsy more precisely in sub-Saharan Africa.