Epidemiology of rheumatic diseases: a cohort of 23,550 patients in rheumatology clinics in Burkina Faso.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this work is to study the epidemiological characteristics of rheumatic conditions in a cohort of 23,550 patients followed up in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a descriptive observational study on records conducted from February 2006 to December 2019 in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso). All patients seen in rheumatology consultation in the city of Ouagadougou were included. The diagnosis of mechanical and degenerative osteoarthropathies was based on clinical and radiological findings; osteoarticular infection was based on clinical and biological findings. The diagnosis of gout was based on the clinical findings, uricemia, and/or the presence of sodium urate crystals in the synovial fluid on microscope. The diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus was based on the ACR/EULAR criteria. RESULTS: In total, 23,550 patients were included in the study. These were 14,995 female patients (63.70%) and 2555 male patients (36.30%). The average age of patients was 49.61 ± 15.36 years with extremes of 9 months to 120 years. Degenerative osteoarthropathies were the most common presentation (13,377 patients; 59.35%) followed by tendinopathies (2199 patients; 9.34%); chronic inflammatory rheumatism was in third place (841 patients; 3.57%) led by rheumatoid arthritis (434 patients); 51.61% of chronic inflammatory rheumatism, systemic lupus erythematosus and ankylosing spondylitis accounted for 71 patients (0.4%) and 63 patients (0.27%), respectively. CONCLUSION: The epidemiology of rheumatic conditions is characterized by its diversity in hospital setting. The scarcity of some conditions such as systemic lupus erythematosus, psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis has been confirmed in this cohort. Key Points • Twenty-three thousand five hundred and fifty patients were included in the study • Rheumatoid arthritis was the most frequent (51.61%) chronic inflammatory rheumatism • Contrary to studies from Europe and America, systemic lupus seems rare in our series.

Prevalence and factors associated with self-medication in rheumatology in Sub-Saharan Africa.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine the prevalence of and factors associated with self-medication in patients with rheumatic diseases. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted from February to July 2013 in the rheumatology department. We included all patients who consulted for a rheumatic disease during the study period and who gave their consent. RESULTS: In total, 203 patients were included; of these, 146 patients (71.92%) had practiced self-medication. Furthermore, 99 patients (48.8%) had practiced self-medication for rheumatologic problems. The mean age of the patients was 45.5 years (range: 18-75 years). State officials accounted for 44.4% of patients. Eighty-one patients were schooled. Low back pain (29.29%) was the main reason for consultation, followed by polyarthralgia (12.12%). Using a visual analogue scale, the level of pain for which patients had used self-medication was rated as >70 out of 100 in 57.6% of patients. Fifty-five patients often self-medicated and 28 patients rarely. Drugs were bought from the pharmacy in 97% of cases. The main channel of self-medication was word of mouth (43.4%). The drugs used were mainly anti-inflammatory drugs (diclofenac: 54.54% and ibuprofen: 57.57%). Ten patients were unaware of the risks of self-medication. In multivariate analysis, sex, education level, and occupation were statistically associated with self-medication. CONCLUSION: Self-medication for a specific rheumatologic symptom appears less common than self-medication in general. The procedures for responsible self-medication should be defined in Burkina Faso in order to minimize the risks.