Introduction: Severe acute malnutrition remains one of the most important causes of under-five mortality. In Cameroon, the northern regions have the highest prevalence, with 1.4% in the Far North in 2021. These childr...Introduction: Severe acute malnutrition remains one of the most important causes of under-five mortality. In Cameroon, the northern regions have the highest prevalence, with 1.4% in the Far North in 2021. These children are managed at the Internal therapeutic and Nutrional Centre, one of which is located at Maroua Regional Hospital, the third level referral Hospital. We therefore proposed to carry out a study on the clinical and evolutive aspects of these children. Materials and Methods: it was a descriptive, cross-sectional study from January 2020 to December 2022, at the ITNC (CNTI) of Maroua Regional Hospital. The sample size was obtained from the Lorentz formula. Patient records were used for data collection. We excluded all incomplete records and patients with less than 24 hours of admission. Results: Out of the 873 patients we recruited, the prevalence of severe malnutrition was estimated at 18 %. The average age was 14 months, with a male predominance. The main reasons for consultation were fever (42%) and diarrhoea (35%). Marasmus was the predominant clinical form. The major medical complications were sepsis (32.9%) and malaria (16.8%). HIV prevalence was 2.5% and tuberculosis was 4.9%. Most patients had haemoglobin levels between 7 and 10g/dl. 79.3% were cured and 6.5% died. The main causes of death were sepsis and malaria. Conclusion: Severe acute malnutrition remains a major problem in the Far North region. Several joint actions are needed to break this cycle.展开更多
文摘Introduction: Severe acute malnutrition remains one of the most important causes of under-five mortality. In Cameroon, the northern regions have the highest prevalence, with 1.4% in the Far North in 2021. These children are managed at the Internal therapeutic and Nutrional Centre, one of which is located at Maroua Regional Hospital, the third level referral Hospital. We therefore proposed to carry out a study on the clinical and evolutive aspects of these children. Materials and Methods: it was a descriptive, cross-sectional study from January 2020 to December 2022, at the ITNC (CNTI) of Maroua Regional Hospital. The sample size was obtained from the Lorentz formula. Patient records were used for data collection. We excluded all incomplete records and patients with less than 24 hours of admission. Results: Out of the 873 patients we recruited, the prevalence of severe malnutrition was estimated at 18 %. The average age was 14 months, with a male predominance. The main reasons for consultation were fever (42%) and diarrhoea (35%). Marasmus was the predominant clinical form. The major medical complications were sepsis (32.9%) and malaria (16.8%). HIV prevalence was 2.5% and tuberculosis was 4.9%. Most patients had haemoglobin levels between 7 and 10g/dl. 79.3% were cured and 6.5% died. The main causes of death were sepsis and malaria. Conclusion: Severe acute malnutrition remains a major problem in the Far North region. Several joint actions are needed to break this cycle.
