Background: Chronic heart failure is a public health problem worldwide. It has a high mortality rate and is accompanied by a decreased functional capacity and alteration of the quality of life. Objective: This st...Background: Chronic heart failure is a public health problem worldwide. It has a high mortality rate and is accompanied by a decreased functional capacity and alteration of the quality of life. Objective: This study aimed to assess the cardiovascular functional capacity of a group of patients suffering from heart failure using the 6-minute walk test (6 MWT). Methods: This was a cross-sectional study carried out in the cardiology unit of Douala’s general hospital for 4 months. We included all eligible patients aged 18 years or more who had stable chronic heart failure and gave informed consent. Those who had an acute coronary syndrome (≤1 month), tachycardia (HR ≥ 120 bpm), high blood pressure (SBP ≥ 180 mmHg and/or DBP ≥ 100 mmHg) and reduced mobility due to orthopaedic reasons were excluded. A 6 MWT was done according to the American Thoracic Society guidelines. The 6 MWT result was considered poor for - 450 m and good for >450 m. Results: We recruited a total of 81 patients (61.7% women) with a mean age of 65.9 ± 10.6 years. The most frequent risk factor for heart failure was high blood pressure (77.8%), alcohol consumption(69.1%) and a sedentary lifestyle (53.1%). The left ventricular ejection fraction was mostly preserved (42.0%) or mildly altered (46.9). The 6 MWT results were poor in 55.6% of cases, average in 19.8% of cases and good in only 24.7% of cases. More than half (59.3%) of the participants perceived the effort as being difficult. The cardiovascular functional capacity was significantly associated with age, heart failure stage and physical activity (p Conclusion: Most patients suffering from chronic stable heart failure in the general hospital of Douala have poor cardiovascular functional capacity.展开更多
Background: Cancer increases the incidence of venous thromboembolic disease (VTE), which represents a significant cause of morbidity, mortality, and economic burden in cancer patients. Objective: We aimed to describe ...Background: Cancer increases the incidence of venous thromboembolic disease (VTE), which represents a significant cause of morbidity, mortality, and economic burden in cancer patients. Objective: We aimed to describe the epidemiologic, clinical, and therapeutic pattern of VTE in cancer patients followed-up in two reference hospitals in Cameroon over the past ten years. Methods: This was a cross-sectional retrospective study conducted in the oncology department of the General hospitals of Yaoundé and Douala. We included the medical records of all patients aged 18 years and above who had active cancer with a confirmed diagnosis of VTE from 2010 to 2021. Results: We analysed 408 patients’ medical records. The prevalence of VTE was 7.6%. All those having VTE had solid tumours. There were twenty (64.5%) cases of deep venous thrombosis, five (16.1%) cases of pulmonary embolism, and three (9.7%) cases of both. Poor performance status and chemotherapy were independently associated with the development of VTE. Most of the patients were treated with compression stockings and low molecular weight heparin. Conclusion: VTE prevalence is high among cancer patients in Cameroon. It is most frequent in solid tumours originating from the genitourinary system, the lung, the pancreas, and the brain.展开更多
Management of thromboembolic disease in an acute bleeding circumstance like haemorrhagic stroke is a real challenge in low-income settings. We report a case of a 37-year-old woman who was treated in the neurologic ser...Management of thromboembolic disease in an acute bleeding circumstance like haemorrhagic stroke is a real challenge in low-income settings. We report a case of a 37-year-old woman who was treated in the neurologic service for a haemorrhagic stroke that occurred one week after a caesarean section. Six weeks after her discharge, she presented signs of bilateral deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism confirmed by venous Doppler ultrasound and a thoracic angiography respectively. Transthoracic cardiac ultrasound showed right ventricular dysfunction with a clot in the right atrium. Considering the high risk of complications due to anticoagulant treatment, surgical treatment and a vena cava filter were proposed. But it could not be performed because it was not accessible. After a multidisciplinary consultation meeting and informed consent of the patient, anticoagulant treatment was the preferred expectation. Three weeks after the beginning of the anticoagulant therapy, the evolution was favourable, and the patient was discharged.展开更多
Background: Obesity is a real pandemic and with ever increasing prevalence. Health professionals play a vital role in the fight against this condition. They are also affected by obesity and could be even more affected...Background: Obesity is a real pandemic and with ever increasing prevalence. Health professionals play a vital role in the fight against this condition. They are also affected by obesity and could be even more affected than the general population. These health workers sometimes have a wrong perception of their own weight which interferes with their ability to counsel their patients. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and factors associated with obesity among health care workers and increase their awareness of the problem. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at the Yaoundé Central Hospital (YCH) and the Yaoundé University Teaching Hospital (YUTH) during a 6 months period. The data were collected through a questionnaire structured according to WHO STEP wise approach to chronic disease risk factor surveillance (STEPS). We measured weight, height, waist circumference, and blood pressure according to the WHO STEPS procedure. The Chi square test and logistic regression were used to measure the association between the qualitative variables. A p value 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 350 health personnel participated in this study. The prevalence of obesity was 30.3%. That of abdominal obesity was 46.9%. The factors independently associated to overall obesity were age > 40 years [OR = 2.22 95% CI (1.28 - 3.87)], nursing assistant profession [OR = 2.31 95% IC (1.21 - 4.41)] and high blood pressure [OR = 3.38 95% CI (1.16 - 9.84)] and to abdominal obesity, age > 40 years [OR = 3.35 95% CI (1.96 - 5.71)], female gender [OR = 5.47 95% CI (2.95 - 10.14)], marriage [OR = 1.84 95% CI (1.08 - 3.14)], and High blood pressure [OR = 3.76 95% CI (1.01 - 13.94)]. Conclusion: Obesity is very common among YCH and YUTH staff. Staff awareness and the introduction of proper lifestyle promotion programs are more than ever needed to win the fight against obesity.展开更多
文摘Background: Chronic heart failure is a public health problem worldwide. It has a high mortality rate and is accompanied by a decreased functional capacity and alteration of the quality of life. Objective: This study aimed to assess the cardiovascular functional capacity of a group of patients suffering from heart failure using the 6-minute walk test (6 MWT). Methods: This was a cross-sectional study carried out in the cardiology unit of Douala’s general hospital for 4 months. We included all eligible patients aged 18 years or more who had stable chronic heart failure and gave informed consent. Those who had an acute coronary syndrome (≤1 month), tachycardia (HR ≥ 120 bpm), high blood pressure (SBP ≥ 180 mmHg and/or DBP ≥ 100 mmHg) and reduced mobility due to orthopaedic reasons were excluded. A 6 MWT was done according to the American Thoracic Society guidelines. The 6 MWT result was considered poor for - 450 m and good for >450 m. Results: We recruited a total of 81 patients (61.7% women) with a mean age of 65.9 ± 10.6 years. The most frequent risk factor for heart failure was high blood pressure (77.8%), alcohol consumption(69.1%) and a sedentary lifestyle (53.1%). The left ventricular ejection fraction was mostly preserved (42.0%) or mildly altered (46.9). The 6 MWT results were poor in 55.6% of cases, average in 19.8% of cases and good in only 24.7% of cases. More than half (59.3%) of the participants perceived the effort as being difficult. The cardiovascular functional capacity was significantly associated with age, heart failure stage and physical activity (p Conclusion: Most patients suffering from chronic stable heart failure in the general hospital of Douala have poor cardiovascular functional capacity.
文摘Background: Cancer increases the incidence of venous thromboembolic disease (VTE), which represents a significant cause of morbidity, mortality, and economic burden in cancer patients. Objective: We aimed to describe the epidemiologic, clinical, and therapeutic pattern of VTE in cancer patients followed-up in two reference hospitals in Cameroon over the past ten years. Methods: This was a cross-sectional retrospective study conducted in the oncology department of the General hospitals of Yaoundé and Douala. We included the medical records of all patients aged 18 years and above who had active cancer with a confirmed diagnosis of VTE from 2010 to 2021. Results: We analysed 408 patients’ medical records. The prevalence of VTE was 7.6%. All those having VTE had solid tumours. There were twenty (64.5%) cases of deep venous thrombosis, five (16.1%) cases of pulmonary embolism, and three (9.7%) cases of both. Poor performance status and chemotherapy were independently associated with the development of VTE. Most of the patients were treated with compression stockings and low molecular weight heparin. Conclusion: VTE prevalence is high among cancer patients in Cameroon. It is most frequent in solid tumours originating from the genitourinary system, the lung, the pancreas, and the brain.
文摘Management of thromboembolic disease in an acute bleeding circumstance like haemorrhagic stroke is a real challenge in low-income settings. We report a case of a 37-year-old woman who was treated in the neurologic service for a haemorrhagic stroke that occurred one week after a caesarean section. Six weeks after her discharge, she presented signs of bilateral deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism confirmed by venous Doppler ultrasound and a thoracic angiography respectively. Transthoracic cardiac ultrasound showed right ventricular dysfunction with a clot in the right atrium. Considering the high risk of complications due to anticoagulant treatment, surgical treatment and a vena cava filter were proposed. But it could not be performed because it was not accessible. After a multidisciplinary consultation meeting and informed consent of the patient, anticoagulant treatment was the preferred expectation. Three weeks after the beginning of the anticoagulant therapy, the evolution was favourable, and the patient was discharged.
文摘Background: Obesity is a real pandemic and with ever increasing prevalence. Health professionals play a vital role in the fight against this condition. They are also affected by obesity and could be even more affected than the general population. These health workers sometimes have a wrong perception of their own weight which interferes with their ability to counsel their patients. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and factors associated with obesity among health care workers and increase their awareness of the problem. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at the Yaoundé Central Hospital (YCH) and the Yaoundé University Teaching Hospital (YUTH) during a 6 months period. The data were collected through a questionnaire structured according to WHO STEP wise approach to chronic disease risk factor surveillance (STEPS). We measured weight, height, waist circumference, and blood pressure according to the WHO STEPS procedure. The Chi square test and logistic regression were used to measure the association between the qualitative variables. A p value 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 350 health personnel participated in this study. The prevalence of obesity was 30.3%. That of abdominal obesity was 46.9%. The factors independently associated to overall obesity were age > 40 years [OR = 2.22 95% CI (1.28 - 3.87)], nursing assistant profession [OR = 2.31 95% IC (1.21 - 4.41)] and high blood pressure [OR = 3.38 95% CI (1.16 - 9.84)] and to abdominal obesity, age > 40 years [OR = 3.35 95% CI (1.96 - 5.71)], female gender [OR = 5.47 95% CI (2.95 - 10.14)], marriage [OR = 1.84 95% CI (1.08 - 3.14)], and High blood pressure [OR = 3.76 95% CI (1.01 - 13.94)]. Conclusion: Obesity is very common among YCH and YUTH staff. Staff awareness and the introduction of proper lifestyle promotion programs are more than ever needed to win the fight against obesity.
