Epidemiological and Diagnostic Profile of Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B Virus from 2017 to 2021 in Parakou, Republic of Benin

Introduction: Viral hepatitis B is a public health problem worldwide. The objective of this study was to determine the epidemiological and diagnostic profile of chronic carriers of hepatitis B virus seen for gastroenterology consultations in Parakou, Republic of Benin. Patients and Methods: This was a cross-sectional and descriptive study with retrospective data collection. Patients seen for gastroenterology consultations from January 1, 2017 to June 30, 2021 at the Regional Teaching Hospital of Borgou/Alibori (CHUD-B/A) and having been diagnosed as chronic carriers of hepatitis B virus were included. A minimum initial assessment was required to be included. The minimum sample size was calculated with Schwartz formula. The variable of interest was the detection of HBsAg twice and at least 6 months apart. The other variables studied were sociodemographic, clinical and paraclinical data. The data collected were analyzed using SPSS 17 software. Results: A total of 2786 patients were seen for gastroenterology consultations, including 1126 (40.4%) HBsAg-positive patients. Among them, 417 patients met the inclusion criteria and were the subject of the present study. The average age of the patients was 34.8 ± 10.5 years. Two hundred and forty-seven patients (65.7%) were male, representing a sex ratio of 1.9. The discovery of positive HBsAg status was made during systematic screening in 231 patients (55.4%). Scarifications were noted in 373 patients (89.4%). Asthenia was reported in 184 patients (44.1%). Co-infections with human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis C and D viruses were 0% (0 in 92), 2.8% (4 in 146) and 14.3% (2 in 146), respectively. During the initial assessment, 274 patients (65.7%) were sero-negative for chronic HBeAg infection, 21 (5%) had clinically significant fibrosis including 16 (3.8%) at the stage of cirrhosis and 7 patients (5.4%) had hepatocellular carcinoma. Conclusion: In Parakou, chronic hepatitis B virus infection is common and affects young people with a male predominance. Asthenia is a non-specific symptom and the most reported by the patients. Around 5 out of 100 patients are seen for consultations at the stage of complication. Emphasis must be placed on early detection and subsidy for pre-therapeutic assessment.

Frequency and Factors Associated with Gender-Based Violence in the Northern Region of Benin from 2016 to 2022

Introduction: Gender-based violence constitutes a public health problem. The objective of this study is to determine the frequency and factors associated with gender-based violence. Study Framework and Method: This was a retrospective, descriptive, cross-sectional study with an analytical aim over the period from January 2016 to December 2022. The study took place in the Integrated Support Center for Victims and Survivors of Gender-Based Violence located in the Departmental University Hospital Center of Borgou and Alibori. The study population consisted of people who were victims of gender-based violence in the northern region of Benin, regardless of their age and gender. Results: The study population consisted of 1198 subjects. The average age of the victims was 21.76 ± 10.02;female victims represented 96.4%, with a sex ratio equal to 0.037 (43/1155). Sexual violence was the most represented (50.25%), followed by psychological (29.30%), physical (24.37%), economic (13.77%) and property (2%). The factors associated with violence were married people and monthly income (physical violence), minors, female gender and single people (sexual violence), polygamous households and monthly income (economic violence), the absence of children burden, married people and monthly income (psychological violence), married people (property violence). Conclusion: Gender-based violence is frequent in the North of Benin and is dominated by sexual violence. The victims are mainly female.

Helicobacter Pylori Infection: Epidemiological, Clinical and Pathological Aspects in a Digestive Endoscopy Unit and the Pathological Anatomy Service of Parakou in Benin Republic

Introduction: Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection is the most common bacterial infection in the world. World Health Organization has classified this bacterium as a Class I carcinogen. The objective of this work is to study the epidemiological, clinical and pathological aspects of Helicobacter pylori infection among adults in a digestive endoscopy unit and the pathological anatomy service of Parakou. Patients and Methods: This was a descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study conducted from January 2020 to September 2020 in the digestive endoscopy unit and pathological anatomy service at the Departmental University Hospital Center of Borgou. Patients aged 18 years and older, who had undergone a gastroscopy with biopsies and who gave their oral consent were included. Three antral biopsies and two fundic biopsies were performed. The search for Hp was done under an optical microscope after staining with hematoxylin eosin. Results: A total of 151 patients were included and 51.66% were infected with Hp. Their average age was 40.63 ± 15.32 years and the sex ratio was 0.9. Epigastric pain was the most reported symptom (71.01%). Endoscopically, the prevalence of erythematous gastropathy was 98.72%. The study of chronic Hp gastritis according to Sydney system had shown signs of activity in 100% of patients with Hp and glandular atrophy in 83.33% of them. Intestinal metaplasia and dysplasia accounted for 24.35% and 29.48% of cases, respectively. Factors associated with Hp infection were: absence of proton pump inhibitor intake prior to examination, absence of handwashing with soap and water before eating, erythematous aspect of gastritis on gastroscopy, absence of intestinal metaplasia of the fundus, active and chronic aspects of gastritis on histology. Conclusion: The frequency of Hp infection in hospitals among adults admitted to the Digestive Endoscopy Unit of Parakou is high. To reduce this prevalence, it will be necessary to act on the factors identified.

Epidemiological, Clinical and Paraclinical Aspects of Cirrhosis at Borgou Departmental University Hospital Center (Benin)

Objective: To study the epidemiological, clinical and paraclinical aspects of cirrhosis at Borgou Departmental University hospital Center. Methods: This is a retrospective study for descriptive purpose conducted in the Internal Medicine Department. The study population consists of patients hospitalized in the Internal Medicine Department during the period from 1st January 2009 to 31st December 2016. Results: The frequency of cirrhosis was 1.35%. The sex ratio was 3.76. The average age of patients was 45.22 ± 15.23 years old, with a range from 15 to 82 years. There is a post hepatitis Bcirrhosis predominance in 87.5% of cases, followed by alcoholic cirrhosis in 21.59% of cases. The complications of cirrhosis are dominated by ascites (78.4%) and jaundice (52%). Conclusion: Cirrhosis is a condition that is wide spread. The hepatitis B virusis the main cause of liver cirrhosis followed by alcoholism. Ascites is the most encountered complication. It’s very important now to educate the populations for a behaviour change and to promote vaccination against viral hepatitis.

Self-Medication Practice against Malaria and Associated Factors in the City of Parakou in Northern Benin: Results of a Population Survey in 2017

Introduction: Self-medication is a common practice in Benin. It has many consequences on people’s health in general and develops chemoresistance in particular. Aim: The aim of this work is to study the practice of anti-malarial self-medication in the city of Parakou and to identify the associated factors with this practice. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional analytical survey that took place in the period from April 15 to June 24, 2017. Adults who reported having had malaria symptoms in the last 6 months before the survey and living in 9 neighbourhoods randomly selected in the city of Parakou were included. A structured questionnaire collected their self-medication habit, the drugs used, the supply places and the reasons for this practice. Data were analysed using the Epi-data 3.1 software. Results: Of the 335 respondents included in this study, 141 (42.09%) had self-medicated including 130 (38.81%) with anti-malarial drugs. Fever is the main symptom of malaria cited by respondents (129% or 38.51%) followed by headache (93% or 27.76%). The most commonly used anti-malarial drugs for self-medication are quinine (60% or 44.45%) followed by artemisinin-based combination therapy (46% or 34.07%). Eighty-seven respondents (66.92%) did not have a good knowledge of the drug dosage. Reasons for self-medication were mainly the high cost of consultation fees (99% or 54.10%) and good knowledge of one’s illness (53% or 28.96%). Self-medication associated factors were fever (p = 0.04), non-prescription drugs supply in pharmacies (p Conclusion: Self-medication is a common practice in the city of Parakou. Medicines purchased without prescription in pharmacies and drugs availability in street facilitate this practice, which may compromise the effectiveness of anti-malarial drugs.

Kaposi’s Sarcoma Associated with Gastrointestinal Bleeding: A Rare Complication of Long-Term Corticosteroid Therapy

Corticosteroid therapy has revolutionized the treatment of many diseases in medicine. The most concerned diseases are chronic inflammatory diseases. Its use may be either short-term or long-term, thus generating several side effects, some of which are conventional and known, but others are rare, such as Kaposi’s sarcoma. We report here a particular clinical observation. Observation: This is a patient of 37 years, who consults in Internal Medicine for the treatment of mucocutaneous lesions, papular nodular, hyper pigmented, budding and disseminated appeared after six months of corticosteroid therapy. This treatment was introduced for the treatment of acoustic neurinoma. The patient is not diabetic or alcoholic and has a negative HIV status. The diagnosis of Kaposi’s sarcoma was made by histology of biopsied skin lesions which concluded for a regular proliferation without atypia spindle cell or mitosis. The lesions persisted over a month despite discontinuation of corticosteroid therapy. Treatment with Bleomycin was necessary. The outcome was favorable under treatment with progressive and complete disappearance of lesions after 15 treatments. Conclusion: The classical side effects of long-term corticosteroid are known, but Kaposi sarcoma complicating long-term corticosteroid is rare in the literature. It is vital that any long-term corticosteroid should be the subject of careful and regular monitoring.

Epidemiology of Anemia at the Internal Medicine Department in Borgou Departmental Hospital Center(DHC)in Parakou(Benin)

Objective: To describe clinical and biological characteristics of anemia in the Internal Medicine department of Borgou Departmental Hospital Center (DHC). Methods: This was a transversal and descriptive study for an analytic purpose. All patients hospitalized in the Internal Medicine department of Borgou DHC who had a hemogram for their care were included in the study. Anemia was defined as a hemoglobin level lower than 12 g/dL for men and lower than 11.5 g/dL for women. Results: Frequency of anemia was 61.8% (76 of 123 patients). Anemia was moderate in 47.4% of the cases and severe in 27.6% of the cases. Basing on the mean corpuscular volume, microcytic anemia accounted for 36.8%, anemia was normocytic in 46.1% and macrocytic in 17.1% of cases. According to the mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, normochromic anemia accounted for 81.6% of the series and hypochromic in 18.4%. The most common pathologies found in anemic patients came from digestive origin (17%), the renal causes were also found in 17% of the cases. Cardiac pathologies were responsible for anemia in 13% of cases. Malaria and pulmonary pathologies were responsible for anemia in respectively 12% and 9%. The main factors associated with anemia were young age (young adult) and neurological pathologies. Conclusion: Anemia hospital prevalence is very high in the Internal Medicine Department of Borgou DHC. Awareness of populations and practitioners for the early management of various pathologies which provide anemia could improve this presentation.