Parkinson's Disease in Sub-Saharan Africa: Pesticides as a Double-Edged Sword.

Long-term exposure to pesticides used in agriculture is increasingly being identified as a risk factor for developing Parkinson's disease. How chronic pesticide exposure might contribute to the growth of Parkinson's disease in the mainly agricultural communities of Sub-Saharan Africa has thus far received limited attention. There are specific concerns in this area of the world: aging of the population, in combination with chronic exposure to widely used pesticides, including those that have been restricted elsewhere in the world because of neurotoxicity and other health risks. Of interest, the prevalence of Parkinson's disease among specific (semi)nomadic populations in Tanzania seems very low, possibly due to their lack of exposure to agricultural chemicals. But at the same time, pesticides have also brought important benefits to this part of the world. Specifically, in Sub-Saharan Africa, pesticides have been directly helpful in preventing and controlling famine and in containing major human infectious diseases. This creates a complex risk-benefit ratio to the use of pesticides within a global perspective, and urgently calls for the development and implementation of affordable alternatives for areas such as Sub-Saharan Africa, including non-neurotoxic compounds and non-chemical alternatives for the use of pesticides.

Neurological disorders in Northern Tanzania: A 6-year prospective hospital-based case series.

Background: The burden of neurological disorders is large and altered by the HIV epidemic. Objectives: We describe the pattern of neurological disorders and their association with HIV infection in adult patients attending a consultant hospital in Northern Tanzania. Methods: In this prospective cross-sectional study, we collected data on adult neurological referrals over a 6-year period between 2007-13. The odds of HIV infection, across neurological categories adjusted for age and sex, was calculated. Results: Of 2037 participants, 54.8% were male and 45.2% were female. The median age of participants was 43 years. The results for HIV screening were available for 992/2037 (48.7%) patients, of whom 306 (30.8%) were seropositive. The most frequent neurological disorders were cerebrovascular disease (19.9%), paraplegia (13.6%), and peripheral neuropathies (8%). Taken together CNS infection accounted for 278/2037 (13.6%). The adjusted odds (aOR) of HIV infection was highest amongst infections; brain abscesses (aOR 107, 95% CI 35.1-470.4) and meningitis/encephalitis (aOR 40.1, 95% CI 13.6-172.9), but also raised in cerebrovascular disease, paraplegia, peripheral neuropathies, cranial nerve palsies, seizures, cerebllar disorders, movement disorders, motor neuron disease and headache. Conclusion: The main pattern of neurological disorders in Northern Tanzania is presented. The odds of HIV infection was highest in CNS infections and in a wide range of non-communicable neurological disorders.

Prevalence and Correlates of Ischemic ECG Findings among Adults With and Without HIV in Tanzania.

Introduction: HIV confers increased risk of myocardial infarction (MI), but there has been little study of ischemic electrocardiogram (ECG) findings among people with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa. Objectives: To compare the prevalence of ischemic ECG findings among Tanzanians with and without HIV and to identify correlates of ischemic ECG changes among Tanzanians with HIV. Methods: Consecutive adults presenting for routine HIV care at a Tanzanian clinic were enrolled. Age- and sex-matched HIV-uninfected controls were enrolled from a nearby general clinic. All participants completed a standardized health questionnaire and underwent 12-lead resting ECG testing, which was adjudicated by independent physicians. Prior MI was defined as pathologic Q-waves in contiguous leads, and myocardial ischemia was defined as ST-segment depression or T-wave inversion in contiguous leads. Pearson's chi-squared test was used to compare the prevalence of ECG findings among those with and without HIV and multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify correlates of prior MI among all participants. Results: Of 497 participants with HIV and 497 without HIV, 272 (27.8%) were males and mean (sd) age was 45.2(12.0) years. ECG findings suggestive of prior MI (11.1% vs 2.4%, OR 4.97, 95% CI: 2.71-9.89, p < 0.001), and myocardial ischemia (18.7% vs 12.1% OR 1.67, 95% CI: 1.18-2.39, p = 0.004) were significantly more common among participants with HIV. On multivariate analysis, ECG findings suggestive of prior MI among all participants were associated with HIV infection (OR 4.73, 95% CI: 2.51-9.63, p = 0.030) and self-reported family history of MI or stroke (OR 1.96, 95% CI: 1.08-3.46, p = 0.023). Conclusions: There may be a large burden of ischemic heart disease among adults with HIV in Tanzania, and ECG findings suggestive of coronary artery disease are significantly more common among Tanzanians with HIV than those without HIV.

Altitude-Related Disorders on Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania: Two-Year Survey in a Local Referral Center.

INTRODUCTION: A significant number of climbers on Mount Kilimanjaro are affected by altitude-related disorders. The aim of this study was to determine the main causes of morbidity and mortality in a representative cohort of climbers based on local hospital records. METHODS: We conducted a 2-y retrospective chart review of all patients presenting to the main referral hospital in the region after a climb on Mount Kilimanjaro, including all relevant records and referrals for postmortem studies. RESULTS: We identified 62 climbers who presented to the hospital: 47 inpatients and 15 outpatients. Fifty-six presented with high altitude illness, which included acute mountain sickness (n=8; 14%), high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) (n=30; 54%), high altitude cerebral edema (HACE) (n=7; 12%), and combined HAPE/HACE (n=11; 20%). The mean altitude of symptom onset ranged from 4600±750 m for HAPE to 5000±430 m for HAPE/HACE. The vast majority of inpatients (n=41; 87%) were improved on discharge. Twenty-one deceased climbers, most having died while climbing (n=17; 81%), underwent postmortem evaluation. Causes of death were HAPE (n=16; 76%), HAPE/HACE (n=3; 14%), trauma (1), and cardiopulmonary (1). CONCLUSIONS: HAPE was the main cause of death during climbing as well as for hospital admissions. The vast majority of climbers who presented to hospital made a full recovery.

Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures among patients with functional neurological disorder: A case series from a Tanzanian referral hospital and literature review.

Objective: Functional neurological disorders (FNDs) and psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) are likely as common in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) as in the rest of the world, but there is a dearth of literature on the epidemiology and clinical presentation of these disorders in Africa. The purpose of this paper is to describe a case series of FNDs presenting to a referral hospital in SSA. In addition, we review the existing literature on FNDs in Africa. Methods: A hospital-based retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence, epidemiology, and clinical phenotype of FNDs and PNES in a referral hospital in Northern Tanzania over a 6-year period (2007-2013). Results: Of 2,040 patients presenting with neurological complaints, 44 (2.2%) were diagnosed with FNDs. Half (n = 22) had the clinical presentation of PNES. Age of presentation for FNDs and PNES peaked in the teen years 12-19 (n = 21 48%; and n = 14, 63%, respectively), and the majority were female (n = 30, 68%; and n = 14, 63%, respectively). The majority presented acutely with short-lived and self-limiting symptoms (only 2 recurrent cases). Literature review revealed multiple reports of "mass hysteria" in SSA often meeting the clinical criteria of epidemic FNDs. Significance: FNDs and PNES occur in Africa with age and gender distribution comparable to that found elsewhere. Although the percentage of FND cases overall was relatively low (2.2%), it is likely to be an underestimate because not all cases were recorded, and cases may be appropriately managed locally before patients are referred to a hospital. PNES was the most common phenotype of FNDs reported, and the African phenotype may be short-lived and self-limiting rather than chronic and recurrent, as reported elsewhere in the world. PNES presentations may also occur in clusters, which may have cultural significance in Africa. FNDs in Africa appear to be underreported, particularly over the last 30 years.

Aeromonas caviae mimicking Vibrio cholerae infectious enteropathy in a cholera-endemic region with possible public health consequences: two case reports.

BACKGROUND: Aeromonas species have been documented to yield false positive results in microbiological tests for Vibrio cholerae. They share many biochemical properties with Vibrio species, with which they were jointly classified in the family Vibrionaceae until genotypic information provided new insights. Aeromonas species are increasingly associated with gastrointestinal infections, albeit with great apparent variation in pathogenicity and virulence both between and within species of the genus. We report two cases with clinically mild cholera-like symptoms, at a time when a cholera outbreak was unfolding in other regions of the country (Tanzania). These are the first cases to be reported with Aeromonas mimicking cholera in our area. CASE PRESENTATION: Two patients were admitted at the isolation unit designated by the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre for emerging infectious diseases and provided informed consent about regular stool analysis and culture under the provisional diagnosis of gastroenteritis. The first patient was a 23-year-old black African woman with a 2-day history of watery diarrhea and vomiting associated with a temperature of 39.7 °C. The second patient was a 47-year-old black African woman with a 2-day history of diarrhea and vomiting with a temperature of 37.7 °C, and she was hemodynamically stable. Both patients were isolated in a specific area for infection control and treated with fluids and orally administered rehydration solution, ciprofloxacin, metronidazole, and paracetamol. Stool culture was done. The isolated colonies were reported as V. cholerae and transferred to the research laboratory of Kilimanjaro Clinical Research Institute for confirmation using whole genome sequencing. Microbiological testing determined colonies isolated from stool to be V. cholerae, and warranted the conclusion "presumptive cholera." Whole genome sequencing, however, established the presence of Aeromonas caviae rather than V. cholerae. CONCLUSIONS: The co-existence of Aeromonas species with V. cholerae in cholera-endemic regions suggests the possibility that a proportion of suspected cholera cases may be Aeromonas infections. However, with close to no epidemiological data available on Aeromonas infection in cases of diarrhea and dysentery in Sub-Saharan Africa, it is not currently possible to establish the extent of misdiagnosis to any degree of certainty. Whole genome sequencing was shown to readily exclude V. cholerae as the etiological agent and establish the presence of Aeromonas species.