Screening, Treatment and Control of High Blood Pressure on Five Sites in Mali

Introduction: High blood pressure is defined as blood pressure greater than or equal to 140 mm Hg for systolic and or 90 mm Hg for diastolic. It constitutes a major public health problem, the leading chronic disease in the world. The objective was to determine the prevalence, treatment rate and control of hypertension. Methods: This was a cross-sectional and descriptive study which took place over a period of 6 months in a hospital environment and in the general population. Results: Of the 1000 participants, 637 had hypertension, giving a prevalence of 63.70% with a female predominance. Thirty-three percent (33%) were unaware of their high blood pressure. The age group 60 and more was the most represented (44%). A proportion of 33 and 23.20 were overweight and obese participants, respectively. Male subjects were more overweight than female, unlike obesity which was more common among female subjects. Sixty-two percent (62%) of hypertensives were treated, of whom 44% were non-compliant. The excessively high cost and consumption of medications as needed were the main factors in therapeutic non-compliance. Twenty-two percent (22%) of all hypertensive patients and 35% of treated hypertensive patients were controlled. Women were more treated but less observant and less controlled than men. Therapeutic coverage and combination therapy rates were lower in rural areas. Hypertensives who had a high level of education were better treated and controlled than those who had no level. Conclusion: High blood pressure remains a real public health problem in Mali. It is more common in people aged 60 and over and in females. One in three hypertensives were unaware of their hypertension. The majority received antihypertensive treatments, but only a minority of them had their hypertension controlled.

Therapeutic Compliance of Hypertensive Patients Followed in Ambulatory in the Cardiology Department of Kati University Hospital

Introduction: High blood pressure is a major public health problem worldwide due to its frequency and cardiovascular complications. Adherence to treatment for chronic diseases is a global problem. The aim was to study therapeutic adherence in hypertensive patients followed in ambulatory. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive study with prospective recruitment that took place from July 1 to December 31, 2022 (6 months) in the cardiology department of the university hospital of Kati. The variables studied were sociodemographic data, cardiovascular risk factors, comorbidities, the possession of insurance and compliance (the Girerd questionnaire was used to assess adherence). Results: A total of 1182 patients were consulted, including 887 for hypertension, a frequency of 75%. Fifty-six patients were included in the study. The average age was 58.18 ± 13.25 years with extremes of 30 and 80 years. There was a female predominance (75%) with a sex ratio of 0.3. The majority of patients lived in urban areas (89.3%). Out-of-school patients accounted for 44.6%, more than half of patients or 55.4% had no income, patients with medical coverage accounted for 67.9% of cases. The main risk factors were physical inactivity (25%) followed by smoking 14.3%. More than 71% of patients had a compliance problem and the main reasons were forgetting to take the drug with 73.2%, followed by delayed treatment of 50% and drug discontinuation of 28.6%. Conclusion: Compliance is a real challenge and a major public health issue. This study allowed us to find a real problem of compliance in our hypertensive patients. There was a statistically significant relationship between drug adherence and forgetting to take the drug and drug discontinuation.

ECG and Echocardiographic Findings of Female Hypertension (fHTN) in the Cardiology Department of the University Hospital Gabriel Touré (UH-GT)

Introduction: In our setting there is a lack of publications on female hypertension in general population motivating this study to look for electro- and echocardiographic findings of female hypertension. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study during 6 months in the cardiology department of the UH-GT including 324 female patients aged 18 and more seen in the outpatient unit and by whom the diagnosis of hypertension was set. All patients consented to be study participants after receiving clearly information about the study and that care giving will not be affected by their eventual refusal. Data collection has been done with all needed confidentiality rules. A survey formular was used to collect data in order to record them in an Access database. Analysis was done using IBM SPSS software. Quantitative data are presented as mean with standard deviation and qualitative as proportion. Level of significance for statistic test was set at 5%. Results: During the study time 324 among 524 hypertensive patients visited our outpatient unit giving a prevalence of fHTN of 61.8%. The means for age, body mass index (BMI) in female hypertensive patients were respectively 52 ± 14.461 years and 27.35 ± 06.585 Kg/m2. Main ECG findings were left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and sinus tachycardia with respectively 93.6% and 46.4% followed by isolated ventricular extrasystole with 33.7%. Echocardiography findings included LVH, relative wall thickness (RWT) and reduced ejection fraction (EF) in respectively 41.05%, 37.35% and 21.91%. The left ventricular mass (LV) mass and geometry were abnormal in 44.4% and 37.3%. Remodeling as geometry modification (18.2%) and mitral flow Type 2 (90.4%) have been the most abnormal findings. Conclusion: Hypertension induced modifications mainly LVH in ECG and Echocardiography in female patients less than encountered among male hypertensive patients.

Heart Disease Scleroderma Revelators: About a Clinical Case

Scleroderma (or systemic sclerosis) is a disease characterized by abnormalities in the functioning of small blood vessels and the immune system, ultimately leading to inflammation and excessive fibrosis of the skin and various organs, including the heart. Management must be multidisciplinary, to avoid complications that are often serious. We report the case of a 20-year-old patient with no known cardiovascular history who consults for dyspnea, and retrosternal pain associated with a dry cough. On physical examination, she had tachycardia, swelling of the lower limbs, jugular turgidity, and deafening heart sounds. Cardiac Doppler ultrasound shows dilation of the right cavities, paradoxical septum and significant pulmonary arterial hypertension, pericardial effusion of medium abundance. On oral examination, it presents an ulceration of the lips, dermatological examination finds scattered hypo chromic spots in the body, more accentuated in the face. Before the hypo chromic dermatosis, a dermatological consultation was carried out with an autoimmune assessment that came back positive for systemic scleroderma.

Evolutionary and Prognostic Aspects of Thrombolysed Patients for Acute Coronary Syndrome ST+ at CHU Ernesto Guevara De La Serna. Las Tunas (Cuba)

Introduction: Acute myocardial infarction (IDM) occupies the first place in terms of mortality, among ischemic pathologies. Thrombolysis in the case of medical treatment for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is undoubtedly the most revolutionary performed to date in this context, with a significant reduction in the mortality rate. The aim of our study was to describe the epidemiological aspects, the criteria for myocardial reperfusion post thrombolysis, the complications during thrombolysis and the complications of acute myocardial infarction in the cardiology department of the CHU Ernesto Guevara De La Serna of Las Tunas (Cuba). Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out from June 2009 to December 2011. The patients hospitalized during this period in the USIC (coronary intensive care unit) for SCA ST(+) were included in the study. The variables studied were: Age, sex, myocardial reperfusion criteria, complications during thrombolysis and complications of myocardial infarction. Results: A total of 207 patients were included. The male sex represented 72.5% of the cases, giving a sex ratio of 2.63. The age group > 60 years was predominant with 54.2% of the cases. Thrombolysed patients represented 65.2% of the cases. Myocardial reperfusion criteria were observed in the majority of thrombolysed patients: relief of precordial pain (77%), regression of the ST segment to 50% of its previous level (81.5% of patients). Bleeding was observed in 1.5% of thrombolysed cases. Complications were encountered in 57% of non thrombolysed patients with a lethality of 5.6%. Conclusion: The male sex was the most affected. Thrombolysis was effective in the majority of patients. The post thrombolysis bleeding rate was low. More than half of the cases of SCA ST(+) not thrombolysed presented complications.

Double Emergency Pulmonary Embolism and Aortic Dissection: About a Clinical Case

Introduction: Pulmonary embolism and aortic dissection are two formidable cardiovascular emergencies. Their exceptional association has a poor prognosis with very high mortality. The aim of our study was to report the case of a 31-year-old patient with pulmonary embolism associated with De Bakey’s type I aortic dissection, admitted to the cardiology department of Kati University Hospital. Case Presentation: We report the case of a young patient of 31 with no known cardiovascular history, on estrogen-progestogen contraception for 10 years, who consults for a left basal thoracic pain of increasing intensity, a whitish productive cough, hemoptysis and dyspnea stage III. She was admitted to the cardiology department, transthoracic cardiac ultrasound objectified aortic insufficiency, dissection of the aorta, the presence of the intimal flap, the false and the true channel, dilation of the right cavities with HTAP. The chest CT scan revealed bilateral lobar and segmental pulmonary embolism, De Bakey’s type I aortic dissection. Medical treatment was instituted for hemodynamic stabilization at the end of sending her to a center specializing in cardiovascular surgery for better management; unfortunately she succumbed before the preparations for her evacuation were finished. Conclusion: The pulmonary embolism associated with aortic dissection constitutes a medical emergence of rare incidence in a cardiological environment;if the diagnosis was quickly made in our patient, the lack of technical platform made management difficult.

Ischemic Stroke Revealing Infective Endocarditis in a Young Subject: About a Clinical Case

Introduction: Neurological complications are possible during infective endocarditis. They are often life-threatening and can be a source of sequelae. Case Presentation: We report the case of an 11-year-old patient admitted to the cardiology department of the CHU-ME “LUXEMBOURG” in Bamako for functional impotence of the left hemibody, accompanied by fever and NYHA stage II dyspnea. The clinical examination on admission shows the poor general condition, normal consciousness, and sensory-motor deficit of the pyramidal type of the left hemibody. The cardiovascular examination notes a systolic murmur at the mitral focus, hepato-jugular reflux, hepatomegaly, and slight edema in the lower limbs. Brain CT showed localized hypodensity in favor of an ischemic stroke. The electrocardiogram shows a sinus rhythm. Transthoracic Doppler echocardiography revealed mitral insufficiency with vegetation of 17 × 14 mm on the anterior mitral valve, with left ventricular ejection fraction estimated at 75%. Dual antibiotic therapy associated with conventional treatment for heart failure was initiated. The clinical evolution was marked by the persistence of the deficit of the left upper limb, the cardiac Doppler echography of control after 6 weeks of treatment found the same vegetation. A discussion with the heart team with a view to a surgical cure has been initiated for the rest of the treatment. Conclusion: A motor deficit associated with fever related to an ischemic vascular accident should lead to a search for infective endocarditis on cardiac Doppler ultrasound.