[Cost of of hospital management of cirrhoses and its complications at the University Hospital of Brazzaville]. / Le coût financier de la prise en charge hospitalière de la cirrhose et de ses complications au CHU de Brazzaville.

This retrospective pilot study was conducted in a series of 166 patients hospitalized for the first time for management of cirrhosis with or without complications over a two-year period at the University Hospital Center in Brazzaville, Congo. Complications included ascitics, hepatic encephalopathy, gastrointestinal bleeding, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Total care cost was determined by adding up expenditures for the initial examination, each day of hospitalization, adjuvant investigations, and administered medication. The mean per-patient cost was 272345 F CFA (415.79 [symbol: see text]) in cases involving ascites, 195675 F CFA (298.74 [symbol: see text]) in cases involving encephalopathy, 207935 F CFA (317.45 [symbol: see text]) in cases involving hepatocellular carcinoma, 245680 F CFA (375.08 [symbol: see text]) in cases involving gastrointestinal bleeding and 205615 F CFA (313.90 [symbol: see text]) in uncomplicated cases. These data document the high cost of hospital care for cirrhosis and related complications in Congo.

[Digestive bleeding and anti-inflammatory drugs at the teaching hospital of Brazzaville]. / Les hémorragies digestives et les médicaments anti-inflammatoires au CHU de Brazzaville.

Authors relate a retrospective survey of 140 cases of digestive haemorrhage after intake of anti-inflammatory drugs from January 1988 to December 2000. The digestive haemorrhage frequency after intake of anti-inflammatory drugs reaches 16%. This survey included 94 men and 46 women whose average age is 42.3 years, with extremes of 15 and 79 years. Among these patients, 75 took salicylic acetyl acid (SAA), 56 non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) and 9 the SAA and NSAID association. More than half of patients relied on self-medication (91 cases ie. 65%). The haematemesis followed by melaena induced the most frequent bleeding (42.8% of cases), while the isolated haematemesis, the isolated melaena and the isolated rectal haemorrhage were found respectively in 35%, 15% and 7.2%. Haemorrhages occur early under SAA and seem less severe than those occurring under NSAID. Lesions responsible for the bleeding are: the duodenal ulcer (68.7%), the haemorrhagic gastritis (6.4%), the gastric ulcer (5%), the oesophagitis (4.2%), the gastric and duodenal ulcer association (3.5%), anorectal exsudative pains and haemorrhagic anal ulcerations. The duodenal ulcer predominance could be attributed to previous lesions.