Factors Associated with Acute Respiratory Infections in Children Aged 0 - 5 Years in the Yénawa District of Cotonou (Benin) in 2023

Introduction: Acute respiratory infections remain one of the main causes of mortality in children aged 0 to 5. This work aimed to study the associated factors with the occurrence of acute respiratory infections in children 0 to 5 years old in Yénawa, Cotonou in 2023. Subjects and Method: It was an analytical cross-sectional study of children aged 0 - 5 years and their mothers in Yénawa, selected by four-degree random sampling. The sampling size, calculated using the Schwartz formula, was 126 children and 126 mothers. The dependent variable was the occurrence of acute respiratory infections. The independent variables were classified into four groups: socio-demographic and economic characteristics, behavioral factors, child-related factors, and environmental factors. Data collected by observation and questionnaire survey were analyzed using STATA version 15 software. Associated factors were investigated by bivariate analysis and multiple logistic regression, at the 5% significance level. Results: A total of 126 children aged 0 - 5 years and 126 mothers were surveyed, aged 23.5 (11 - 36) months and 30 (18 - 48) years respectively. The prevalence of acute respiratory infections was 74.60% (CI95% = 66.89 to 82.30). The associated factors were the mother’s age between 18 and 28 (OR = 10.77;CI95% = 1.89 to 61.27;p = 0.007), the use of charcoal/wood for cooking (OR = 7.36;IC = 1.99 to 27.10;p = 0.003)), children's poor personal hygiene (OR = 8.87;IC = 2.92 to 26.97;p 0.001)), and cohabitation with domestic animals (OR = 7.27;IC = 1.67 to 31.71;p = 0.015). Conclusion: Communicating with mothers about the factors identified will help reduce the prevalence of acute respiratory infections in children aged 0 to 5.

Outcomes of Patients with Heart Failure followed in a Cardiological Setting to Parakou from 2016 to 2020

Introduction: Heart failure (HF) is a serious pathology whose evolution is made of episodes of acute decompensation, rhythmic and thromboembolic complications, causes of iterative hospitalizations and death. The objective of this study was to describe the outcomes of patients followed for heart failure in a cardiological setting in Parakou from 2016 to 2020. Methods: This was a longitudinal, descriptive and analytical retrospective study of heart failure patients followed in consultation and/or hospitalization over a period of 5 years (October 2016 to July 2020) in cardiology units of Parakou. The outcome of HF was assessed by the NYHA symptomatic stage, rehospitalization, complications and death. Epidata 3.1 fr and SPSS 21 software were used for data processing and analysis. Results: Of the 4902 cardiovascular admissions, 453 cases of HF (9.24%) were observed. At the onset of care, 51.50% of patients were at NYHA stage IV and 69.46% had left ventricular systolic dysfunction. During the follow-up period, there was a symptomatic improvement in the first 06 months but at one year of follow-up, 45.28% of the subjects were seen with a deteriorated stage. At one year of follow-up, the rehospitalization rate was 23.58%. The complications noted were arrhythmias in 8.32% of cases. The mortality rate was 30.37%. Advanced age > 60 years, Charlson score ≥ 3, hypokalemia and poor adherence to treatment were the factors associated with unfavorable outcomes. Conclusion: HF is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. This highlights the importance of its prevention, its better etiological research and patient’s therapeutic education.

Translation and Validation of EORTC QLQ-PR25 Questionnaire for Assessing Quality of Life of Prostate Cancer Patients in a Moroccan Population

Understanding the effects of prostate cancer on quality of life of affected patients is essential for clinical research and also for optimal management and care.The main objective of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of a Moroccan dialect version of the quality of life questionnaire(EORTC QLQ-PR25).The study was conducted among patients with prostate cancer in oncology department of the Ibn Rochd University Hospital Mohammed VI Center for cancers treatment in Casablanca during the period of study(from January to December 2017).Statistical analysis data was done using R software.Internal consistency was tested using Cronbach’s alpha.A total of 82 subjects were included,the mean age of patients was 69.6 years with a standard deviation of 7.9 years.The majority of them were illiterate,with 59.8%,and urban people about 60%.Good reliability was revealed for the Moroccan dialect version with Cronbach’s alpha coefficient ranging from 0.17 for“sexual function”dimension to 0.83 for“urinary symptoms”dimension.Reproducibility of the scale was good with intra-class correlation coefficients ranging from 0.69 for“sexual function”dimension to 0.87 for“urinary symptoms”dimension.Scale reproducibility was good with intra-class correlation coefficients ranging from 0.69 for“sexual function”dimension to 0.87 for“urinary symptoms”dimension.Dialectal version obtained showed good reliability for the dimension“urinary symptoms”and acceptable for other dimensions except for“sexual function”which was not satisfactory.

Complications of Peripartum Cardiomyopathy at the Departmental University Hospital Teaching of Borgou (Benin) in 2022: About 3 Cases

Introduction: Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a dilated cardiomyopathy occurring in the last month of pregnancy or the first five months postpartum without pre-existing cardiovascular pathology. It is a major cause of pregnancy-related heart failure with high morbidity and mortality. In severe forms (10% to 15% of cases), thrombo-embolic complications are the main cause. The initial hemodynamic evolution is totally unpredictable and sometimes extremely brutal and fatal. The objective of this work was to show the often pejorative evolution of PPCM in our country. Methods: We report in this work three serious clinical cases revealing the complications of this PPCM among patients admitted to the cardiology department of the CHUD-B/A in 2022 for heart failure. The data were collected according to the Declaration of Helsinki. Patients and Observations: The first case was a PPCM with severe left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction complicated by spontaneous left intraventricular contrast and right superficial sylvian ischemic stroke. The second case reports a global cardiac decompensation of a PPCM with severe LV systolic dysfunction complicated by an apical thrombus. The third case is that of a state of cardiogenic shock complicating a PPCM with severe LV systolic dysfunction. Among our 03 patients presenting these severe forms of PPCM, the evolution, in spite of the symptomatic and prognostic treatments of the heart failure, and even of the complications, was unfavourable with death in two of them. Conclusion: Complications of PPCM are frequent and fatal in Benin.

Prognosis of Patients with Pregnancy Hypertensive Disorders Followed in University Hospital to Parzakou in 2020

Introduction: Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are often accompanied by cardiovascular sequelae. The objective of this study was to describe the prognosis in the postpartum period of patients with HDP in Departmental University Hospital of Borgou CHUD-B from Parakou in 2020. Methods: The study was prospective with a descriptive and analytical design and was conducted from January 2020 to September 2020. Patients with HDP were recruited from the gynecology-obstetrics department and each followed for 3 months in the cardiology department. HDP was classified according to the International Society for the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy, and blood pressure (BP) was taken according to WHO recommendations. Self-measurement of BP at home was performed to assess blood pressure control outside the hospital. Epidata 3.1 and SPSS 21 software were used for data processing and analysis. P values < 5% were considered statistically significant. Results: During the study period, the hospital frequency of HDP was 15.6%. The frequency of maternal complications in the postpartum period was 28% (severe hypertension: 23.2%;eclampsia: 3.6%;puerperal psychosis: 1.2%). At the end of the three-month follow-up, blood pressure returned to normal in 73.2% of cases;it persisted in 26.8% of women. Factors associated with persistence of hypertension after multivariate analysis were, overweight/obesity RRa 8.664 [1.566 - 47.941], (p = 0.013);family history of hypertension RRa 6.499 [1.493 - 28.289], (p = 0.013);history of hypertension in previous pregnancies RRa 7.764 [1.561 - 38.601], (p < 0.012). Conclusion: The frequency of HDP is not negligible at CHUD-B/A. The evolution of these HDP was marked in more than a quarter of cases by complications in the postpartum period followed by a persistence of hypertension 3 months after childbirth predicted by cardiovascular risk factors.