[Cryoglobulin and factors associated with it in patient with anti-hepatitis-C antibodies living in resource-limited countries]. / Cryoglobuline et facteurs associés chez le patient porteur de l'anticorps du virus de l'hépatite C dans un pays à ressources limitées.

INTRODUCTION: hepatitis C virus (HCV) has several extra-hepatic manifestations including cryoglubulinemia. Cryoglobulinemia is defined as the abnormal presence in the blood of one or several proteins (cryoglobulins) that can precipitate at low temperatures. METHOD: We conducted a cross-sectional analytical study in the Laboratory of Biology and in the Unit of Hepatology of the General Hospital in Douala (HGD) over a period of 6 months. All patients agreeing to participate to the study and with anti-hepatitis-C antibodies under treatment or not were enrolled. Cryoglobulins were detected using biuret method and the classification was performed using Brouet immunoelectrophoresis. A multivariate analysis was conducted, confounding factors such as age, sex and the length of time after Hepatitis C Virus screening were adjusted. RESULTS: The study enrolled 116 patients. The average age of patients was 58.47±9.95 years. Male sex accounted for 50.86% of cases. Arthralgia was found in 69.80% of cases. Cryoglobulin was found in 63.80% of patients. After adjustment, female sex (OR =2.18; CI 95% [0,97-4,90]; p= 0.059), asthenia alone (OR =2.45;CI 95% [1,04-5,80]; p= 0.041), asthenia combined with arthralgia (OR =2.84;CI 95% [1,13-7, 10]; p= 0.026) and the presence of HCV RNA (OR =2.84;CI 95% [1,13-7,10]; p= 0.028) were factors independently associated with the presence of cryoglobulin. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of cryoglobubin is high in patients with anti-hepatitis-C antibodies at the HGD. Simple biological methods are used to detect it. Cryoglobulin test in patients with HCV is essential in resource-limited countries.

[Prognosis and survival of esophageal cancer in Cameroon: a prognostic study]. / Facteurs pronostiques du cancer de l'œsophage au Cameroun: étude multicentrique.

INTRODUCTION: Esophageal cancer is rare. Poor prognosis is due to delayed diagnosis. Five year survival is less than 20%. This study aimed to investigate the factors associated with survival of patients with esophageal cancer in Cameroon. METHODS: We conducted a prognostic study in the General Hospitals in Yaoundé and in Douala over a period of 11 years from 1 January 2005 to 31 December 2015. The parameters studied were those associated with survival. Survival was established on the basis of the date of diagnosis and of the date of death or of the last visit. SPSS software (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) version 23 allowed for data analysis. Kaplan Meier curve was used to estimate the survival function. Log RankTest allowed for comparison among the different groups. Cox regression helped to highlight the different factors associated with it. Significance level was set at 0.05. RESULTS: We collected data from 49 medical records. The average age of patients was 57.83 years. There was a male predominance (71.4%; n=35) with a sex ratio of 2.49. The follow-up period was 3.2 months. Median survival was 6.67 months (CI 95% [1.33-10.4]) and the average survival time was 7.99 months (CI 95% [4.42-11.17]). Multivariate-adjusted analysis showed that stage IV was a predictive factor of mortality (HR = 2.79; CI95% [1.13-6.89], p = 0.025]). CONCLUSION: Esophageal cancer is a rare disease with poor prognosis. Prognostic factor is the tumor stage.