[Tubeculosis in Abidjan: comparison of children and adults]. / La tuberculose à Abidjan: comparaison entre l'enfant et l'adulte.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a global public health problem, especially in developing countries. Although the extent of TB in children is unknown, children are estimated to account for 5 to 20% of all TB cases. The aim of this study was to specify the differences between tuberculosis in children and in adult outpatients managed in Abidjan. This retrospective study analyzed data from 2617 cases of childhood TB and 36,648 cases of adult TB. The sex ratio was 0.93 in children and 1.50 in adults HIV co-infection was present in 24.5% (174/711) of the children with TB and 44% (5106/11,617) of the adults [OR = 0.413 (0.347, 0.492), p<0.001]. Of the 2610 cases of childhood TB for which complete data were available, 77.24% were pulmonary, including 34.63% smear-positive, and 22.76% were extrapulmonary; in adults, there were 2286 cases of smear-negative tuberculosis, 24,000 smear-positive, and 9348 extrapulmonary (26.2%). The most common locations of extrapulmonary TB in children were lymph nodes (30.1%) and the pleura (26.2%). Treatment failure or death was estimated at 1.9% in children compared with 3.9% in adults [OR = 0.465 (0.326, 0.664), p <0.001]. In Abidjan, TB in children is more frequently smear-negative or located in the lymph nodes than among adults, and it affects girls and boys almost equally.

[Characteristics of supposedly bacterial community acute pneumonia among HIV-positive patients: prospective preliminary study]. / Pneumonies communautaires d'allure bactérienne chez le sujet infecté par le VIH : étude préliminaire prospective.

INTRODUCTION: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is the second leading cause of hospitalization in the respirology department in Abidjan after tuberculosis. Frequently associated with HIV infection, it has a high mortality rate of about 20% to 30%. The aim of this study is to identify the specificities and severity factors associated with bacterial CAP (BCAP) outcome in HIV-positive patients. METHODS: The authors conducted a prospective and comparative preliminary study on two groups of patients: 29 HIV-positive patients with BCAP and 21 HIV-negative patients with BCAP. All of the patients were hospitalized for BCAP with symptoms of severity according to the usual score of severity. RESULTS: The sociodemographic, clinical and paraclinical characteristics were similar in both groups. Failures and deaths were more frequent in the group with HIV infection. In particular, HIV infected patients with a body mass index under 18.5 and a rate of T CD4 lymphocytes lower than 200/mm(3) presented the least favourable evolution. CONCLUSIONS: A more extensive study should help define the appropriate severity criteria for BCAP associated with HIV infection.

[Removal of an intratracheobronchial foreign body opaque to X-rays in a child within a context of inadequate medical technical equipment]. / Extraction d'un corps étranger intratrachéobronchique radio-opaque chez un enfant dans un contexte de plateau sous-médicalisé.

Intratracheobronchial foreign bodies are common accidents in children. In developed countries, the removal of these intratracheobronchial foreign bodies is performed with flexible or rigid fiberoptic bronchoscopy. Resorting to surgery is rare. In the inadequate medical context described, suitable medical technical equipment doesn't exist. Removal alternatives are necessary in order to avoid sanitary evacuation which is not always within patients' means. In this study, the authors describe the removal of an intratracheobronchial foreign body opaque to X-rays with foreign body forceps. The forceps, passed through the orotracheal intubation probe, were guided by an image intensification system in a traumatology operating theatre.