Epidemiological Aspects of Diseases Seen in Pediatric Surgery Consultation at the Kara Teaching Hospital

Background: Pediatric surgery in developing countries faces serious problems of inadequate infrastructures and equipment. Since July 2019, a new department was created in the north of Togo. It is in this context that this study is initiated, with the aim of taking stock of the epidemiological distribution of pediatric surgical diseases. Material and methods: This was a retrospective and descriptive study over a period of eighteen months, from October 30, 2019 to April 30, 2021. It took place in the pediatric surgery department of the Kara teaching hospital. It concerns pathologies seen at the consultation in the department collected in consultation register. Epidemiological parameters were studied. Results: In eighteen (18) months, two hundred and fifty-nine children, were seen in pediatric surgery consultation at the Kara Teaching Hospital. The annual frequency of consultations was 172.66. The monthly frequency was 14.39. The average age of the children was 4.56 years with extremes of 2 days and 15 years. There were 194 boys (74.90%) and 65 girls (25.10%). At the consultation, whatever the reason, the examination was normal in 17 children and 242 children had abnormalities. Two hundred and twelve children (81.85%) had each one abnormality and 30 children (11.58%) had each at least two. A total of 298 diseases were reported in the 242 children. These were 218 congenital diseases (73.15%) dominated by urological abnormalities with 37.16% of cases and 80 acquired diseases (26.85%). Acquired diseases were for 26.85% and dominated by limb trauma and infectious pathologies including chronic osteomyelitis. Conclusion: Pathologies seen in pediatric surgery consultation were dominated by congenital diseases. Urological malformations are the most represented. This study forms a basis for other more extensive ones.