Use of adenosine deaminase (ADA) to diagnose suspected peritoneal tuberculosis in Rwanda: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Peritoneal tuberculosis is the most common cause of low albumin gradient ascites in developing countries, but it can be easily confused with other causes of ascites. Peritoneal tuberculosis requires early recognition of symptoms and signs in order to make a quick diagnosis for appropriate treatment. Measurement of adenosine deaminase (ADA) level > 39 in ascites fluid is an established test to diagnose peritoneal tuberculosis. Many low-income countries do not currently test for adenosine deaminase in ascites fluid, including Rwanda. METHOD: Cross-sectional, descriptive study conducted through the Internal Medicine Department of three university teaching hospitals in Rwanda. Participants were patients older than 16 years presenting to tertiary referral hospitals with ascites of unknown cause. RESULTS: Of 103 ascites fluid samples collected, 52 of them (50.5%) had an elevated ADA, consistent with a presumptive diagnosis of peritoneal TB. Among those 52 subjects diagnosed with peritoneal TB, 39 out of 52 (75%) did not receive anti-TB medications. Among the 17 subjects who were treated with anti-TB medications, 4 of 17 (23.6%) did not have peritoneal TB based on ADA level. Samples with low-albumin gradient ascites were more likely to have high ADA ≥39 IU/L (p = 0.039). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that 3out of 4 patients with PTB in Rwanda are not getting TB treatment and 1 in 4 patients who are taking TB medications do not need it. Even if the true number of Rwandans who are being undertreated and overtreated is less than our study suggests, these results should prompt a larger study of peritoneal tuberculosis. Adding adenosine deaminase (ADA) to the diagnostic tools available to clinicians could help achieve the goal of correctly putting every Rwandan with tuberculosis on treatment, while avoiding unnecessary tuberculosis medications in those who do not have the disease.

Efficacy of Helicobacter pylori eradication regimens in Rwanda: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Successful H. pylori treatment requires the knowledge of local antimicrobial resistance. Data on the efficacy of H. pylori eradication regimens available in sub-Saharan Africa are scant, hence the optimal treatment is unknown. Our goals were to determine the efficacy of available regimens in Rwanda as well as evaluate the effect of treatment on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients undergoing esophagogastroduodenoscopy. METHODS: This is a randomized controlled trial conducted from November 2015 to October 2016 at a tertiary hospital in Rwanda. Enrollees were 299 patients (35% male, age 42 ± 16 years (mean ± SD)) who had a positive modified rapid urease test on endoscopic biopsies. After a fecal antigen test (FAT) and HRQoL assessment by the Short Form Nepean Dyspepsia Index (SF-NDI) questionnaire, patients were randomized 1:1:1:1 to either a triple therapy combining omeprazole, amoxicillin and one of clarithromycin/ciprofloxacin/metronidazole or a quadruple therapy combining omeprazole, amoxicillin, ciprofloxacin and doxycycline. All therapies were given for a duration of 10 days. The outcome measures were the persistence of positive FAT (treatment failure) 4 to 6 weeks after treatment and change in HRQoL scores. RESULTS: The treatment success rate was 80% in the total population and 78% in patients with a history of prior triple therapy. Significant improvement in HRQoL in the total group (HRQoL mean scores before and after treatment respectively: 76 ± 11 and 32 ± 11, p < 0.001) and the group with functional dyspepsia (HRQoL mean scores before and after treatment respectively: 73 ± 11 and 30 ± 9, P < 0.001) was observed across all treatment groups. Using clarithromycin based triple therapy (standard of care) as a reference, the group treated with metronidazole had worse HRQoL (p = 0.012) and had a trend towards worse treatment outcome (p = 0.086) compared to the ciprofloxacin based combination therapies. CONCLUSION: Clarithromycin and ciprofloxacin based combination therapies are effective and safe to use alternatively for H. pylori eradication and improve HRQoL. Among the regimens studied, metronidazole based triple therapy is likely to be clinically inferior. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The clinical trial was retrospectively registered ( PACTR201804003257400 ) with the Pan African Clinical Trial Registry database, on April 6th, 2018 in South Africa.

Duplicated Inferior Vena Cava Thrombosis Mimicking Acute Pancreatitis in a COVID-19 Patient.

An 86-year-old woman with a recent hospitalization for severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection presented to the emergency department with abdominal discomfort and bilateral leg swelling. She was mildly tachycardic on physical exam, with superficial abdominal vessel dilation and bilateral lower extremity edema. Her laboratory results were significant for a mildly elevated lipase of 260 U/L (normal range: 0-160 U/L) and a positive COVID-19 PCR test. CT of the abdomen and pelvis did not show any pancreatic abnormality but revealed a duplicated inferior vena cava (IVC) with a thrombus located in the right IVC. The patient was subsequently placed on full-dose anticoagulation with the eventual achievement of clot lysis. It appears that the incidence of thrombosis, including IVC thrombosis, has been on the rise due to COVID-19-associated coagulopathy; therefore, a high index of clinical suspicion in these cases may prove to be lifesaving.

Attitudes and preferences toward the provision of medication abortion in an urban academic internal medicine practice.

BACKGROUND: Mifepristone offers internal medicine doctors the opportunity to greatly expand access to abortion for their patients. Almost 70% of pregnancy terminations, however, still occur in specialized clinics. No studies have examined the preferences of Internal Medicine patients specifically. OBJECTIVE: Determine whether patient preference is a reason for the limited uptake of medication abortion among internal medicine physicians. PARTICIPANTS: Women aged 18-45 recruited from the waiting room in an urban academic internal medicine clinic. MEASURES: A semi-structured questionnaire was used to determine risk of unintended pregnancy and attitudes toward abortion. Support for provision of medication abortion in the internal medicine clinic was assessed with a yes/no question, followed by the open-ended question, "Why do you think this clinic should or should not offer medication abortion?" Subjects were asked whether it was very important, somewhat important, or not important for the internal medicine clinic to provide medication abortion. KEY RESULTS: Of 102 women who met inclusion criteria, 90 completed the survey, yielding a response rate of 88%. Twenty-two percent were at risk of unintended pregnancy. 46.7% had had at least one lifetime abortion. Among those who would consider having an abortion, 67.7% responded yes to the question, "Do you think this clinic should offer medication abortions?" and 83.9% stated that it was "very important" or "somewhat important" to offer this service. Of women open to having an abortion, 87.1% stated that they would be interested in receiving a medication abortion from their primary care doctor. CONCLUSIONS: A clinically significant proportion of women in this urban internal medicine clinic were at risk of unintended pregnancy. Among those open to having an abortion, a wide majority would consider receiving it from their internal medicine doctor. The provision of medication abortion by internal medicine physicians has the potential to greatly expand abortion access for women.

Sero-prevalence of anti-Leptospira antibodies and associated risk factors in rural Rwanda: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease transmitted through the urine of wild and domestic animals, and is responsible for over 50,000 deaths each year. In East Africa, prevalence varies greatly, from as low as 7% in Kenya to 37% in Somalia. Transmission epidemiology also varies around the world, with research in Nicaragua showing that rodents are the most clinically important, while studies in Egypt and Chile suggest that dogs may play a more important role. There are no published studies of leptospirosis in Rwanda. METHODS & FINDINGS: We performed a cross-sectional survey of asymptomatic adults recruited from five occupational categories. Serum samples were tested using ELISA and Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT). We found that 40.1% (151/377) of asymptomatic adults had been exposed to Leptospira spp. Almost 36.3% of positive subjects reported contact with rats (137/377) which represent 90.7% among positive leptospira serology compared with 48.2% of negative subjects (182/377) which represent 80.5% among negative leptospira serology (OR 2.37, CI 1.25-4.49) and 1.7 fold on prevalence ratio and 2.37 of odd ratio. Furthermore, being a crop farmer was significantly associated with leptospirosis (OR 2.06, CI 1.29-3.28). We identified 6 asymptomatic subjects (1.6%) who met criteria for acute infection. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates a high prevalence of leptospiral antibodies infection among asymptomatic adults in rural Rwanda, particularly relative to neighboring countries. Although positive subjects were more likely to report rat contact, we found no independent association between rats and leptospirosis infection. Nonetheless, exposure was high among crop farmers, which is supportive of the hypothesis that rats together with domestic livestock might contribute to the transmission. Further studies are needed to understand infecting Leptospira servers and elucidate the transmission epidemiology in Rwanda and identify means of host transmitters.

'They paved paradise and put up a parking lot'.

A doctor ponders his public health role when a patient loses a place to exercise and his health sharply deteriorates.

Arterial thrombosis associated with heterozygous factor V Leiden disorder, hyperhomocysteinemia, and peripheral arterial disease: importance of synergistic factors.

A 47-year-old man with heterozygous factor V Leiden disorder and intermittent hyperhomocysteinemia developed spontaneous acute popliteal artery thrombosis. Homocysteine levels were above normal limits at presentation. Intra-arterial thrombolysis was used successfully to treat the acute thrombosis; long-term treatment included anticoagulation, folic acid, and risk factor modification. Although factor V Leiden is strongly associated with deep venous thrombosis, additional cofactors such as hyperhomocysteinemia may predispose to an increased risk of acute arterial thrombosis in areas of pre-existing peripheral arterial disease.