Clinico-pathological discrepancies in the diagnosis of causes of death in adults in Mozambique: A retrospective observational study

Background Clinico-pathological discrepancies are more frequent in settings in which limited diagnostic techniques are available, but there is little information on their actual impact. Aim We assessed the accuracy of the clinical diagnoses in a tertiary referral hospital in sub-Saharan Africa by comparison with post-mortem findings. We also identified potential risk factors for misdiagnoses. Methods One hundred and twelve complete autopsy procedures were performed at the Maputo Central Hospital (Mozambique), from November 2013 to March 2015. We reviewed the clinical records. Major clinico-pathological discrepancies were assessed using a modified version of the Goldman and Battle classification. Results Major diagnostic discrepancies were detected in 65/112 cases (58%) and were particularly frequent in infection-related deaths (56/80 [70%] major discrepancies). The sensitivity of the clinical diagnosis for toxoplasmosis was 0% (95% CI: 0­37), 18% (95% CI: 2­52) for invasive fungal infections, 25% (95% CI: 5­57) for bacterial sepsis, 34% (95% CI: 16­57), for tuberculosis, and 46% (95% CI: 19­75) for bacterial pneumonia. Major discrepancies were more frequent in HIV-positive than in HIV-negative patients (48/73 [66%] vs. 17/39 [44%]; p = 0.0236). Conclusions Major clinico-pathological discrepancies are still frequent in resource constrained settings. Increasing the level of suspicion for infectious diseases and expanding the availability of diagnostic tests could significantly improve the recognition of common life-threatening infections, and thereby reduce the mortality associated with these diseases. The high frequency of clinico-pathological discrepancies questions the validity of mortality reports based on clinical data or verbal autopsy.

Trends in Cancer Incidence in Maputo, Mozambique, 1991­2008

Very limited information is available regarding the incidence of cancer in sub-Saharan Africa. We analyzed changes in cancer patterns from 1991 to 2008 in Maputo (Mozambique). Methods We calculated the rates of incidence of different cancer sites by sex in the 5-year age-group of the population of Maputo city as well as age-standardized rates (ASRs) and average annual percentage changes (AAPC). Results Over the 18-year study period a total of 12,674 cases of cancer (56.9% females) were registered with an overall increase in the risk of cancer in both sexes. In males, the most common cancers were those of the prostate, Kaposi sarcoma (KS) and the liver. Prostate cancer showed the most dramatic increase over the whole study period (AAPC +11.3%; 95% CI: 9.7­13.0), with an ASR of 61.7 per 105 in 2003­2008. In females, the most frequent cancers were of the uterine cervix, the breast and KS, with the former increasing along the whole study period (AAPC + 4.7%; 95% CI: 3.4­6) with an ASR of 62.0 per 105 in 2003­2008 as well as breast cancer (AAPC +6.5%; 95%CI: 4.3­8.7). Conclusions Overall, the risk of cancer rose in both sexes d