[Clinical and paramedical features of epilepsy in children at the Ziguinchor Peace Hospital: a documentation review]. / Aspects cliniques et paracliniques de l´épilepsie de l´enfant à l´Hôpital de la Paix de Ziguinchor: étude documentaire.

Epilepsy poses a public health problem in Senegal. The purpose of the study was to describe the clinical and paramedical features of epilepsy in children at the Ziguinchor Peace Hospital (ZPH). We conducted a literature review of the medical records of children with epilepsy, from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2018. Patients aged < 15 years followed up for epilepsy at the ZPH were included. Incomplete medical records were excluded. Data from fifty-five (37 boys and 18 girls) children were collected; 70.9% of them were ≤5 years of age. Mean age of patients was 4.3 years. Patients were from rural (60%) and disadvantaged families (67.3%). Seizures were generalized (72.7%) and focal (27.3%). Eighteen patients had idiopathic epilepsy, 17 had non-idiopathic epilepsy. Etiological factors were dominated by abnormalities associated with pregnancy and childbirth (29.1%). Epilepsy is common at the ZPH. It is most common in rural areas among boys under the age of 5 years from disadvantaged families. Generalized tonic-clonic and focal seizures are the most frequent clinical state and abnormalities associated with pregnancy and childbirth are the most commonly found etiologies.

Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) in children: a successful case for a bright future in a developing country.

The authors report the first case of successful peritoneal dialysis (PD) in a developing country performed about a 13-year-old adolescent followed-up for stage V chronic kidney disease (CKD) with anuria. After 3 months of hemodialysis, the parents opted for continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) as they wished to return home located 121km from Dakar. After PD catheter insertion, the plan proposed to the patient consisted 3-4 hours stasis of isotonic dialysate during the day and a night stasis of 8 hours of icodextrin for an injection volume of 1L per session. The patient and his mother were trained and assessed on the PD technique. After dialysis adequacy was tested while hospitalised, they were able to return home and continued the sessions following the same plan prescribed and while keeping in touch, by telephone, with the medical team. The technique assessment at the day hospital every 2 weeks revealed dialysis adequacy and satisfactory tolerance of PD at home after 04 months of observation. It was the first case of successful CAPD in the pediatrics unit in this context. Scaling this technique is a challenge for the pediatric nephrologist in developing countries like Senegal.

[Interauricular communications in children: diagnosis and treatment, about 49 cases at the Children?s University Hospital in Dakar]. / Les communications interauriculaires chez l'enfant: diagnostic et prise en charge à propos de 49 cas aux CHU pédiatriques de Dakar.

Interauricular communication (IAC) is the second most important congenital heart disease in children. It accounts for 6-8% of congenital cardiac malformations in children. However, many questions are still open about this pathology. Thus, this study aims to report the prevalence rate of IAC in hospital but especially to describe its clinical, paraclinical and therapeutic aspects. For this purpose, we conducted a retrospective descriptive study. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire and then entered and analyzed in Sphinx (V5). The prevalence in Hospital was 2x1000. The average age of patients was 37 months, the sex-ratio was 0,75. No prenatal diagnosis was made. Parental consanguinity was detected in 30% of cases. Respiratory infections were found in 24% of cases. Cardiomegaly was found in 35 cases with hypervascularization in 63% of cases. Ultrasound showed a predominance of ostium secundum; wide IAC was found in 63% of cases. Pulmonary stenosis was the most important associated heart attack. Pulmonary arterial hypertension was found in 63% of the cases. Treatment was based on diuretics, which were largely used and only 7 children underwent surgery. Evolution was favorable in 39 patients reflecting a rate of 79%. Early diagnosis of IAC should be improved as well as surgical treatment of IAC affecting infants.

[Hyperthyroidism in children at the University Hospital in Dakar (Senegal)]. / L'hyperthyroïdie de l'enfant au centre hospitalier universitaire de Dakar (Sénégal).

INTRODUCTION: Hyperthyroidism in children is rare and constitutes a problem because of its psychosomatic impact. This study aimed to present an overview of the state of knowledge on these aspects in children from Dakar. METHODS: We conducted a multicenter, descriptive study over a period of 15 years. We evaluated the epidemiological, clinical and etiologic aspects of hyperthyroidism in children. RESULTS: 239 patients were included in the study with a prevalence of 2.4%, a sex ratio (M/F) of 0.36 and an average age of 10.8 years. The inclusion criteria were being the eldest son in a family(26.3%), being advanced (36.9%) or delayed (12.5%) in maturation, having short stature (40.1%). It was caused by Graves' disease in 90.3% of cases with psychoaffective factor in 22.1%. On a clinical point of view tachycardia (92.4%), goiter (91.1%), exophthalmia (81.8%), weight loss (69.8%) prevailed but with bed-wetting (30.2%) and psychic manifestations (3.1%). Cardiovascular and cutaneous manifestations were positively associated with age (p < 0.05). Goiter was associated with female sex (p = 0.005), cardiovascular (p = 0.02), neuropsychic (p = 0.03), skin (p = 0.03) signs and diarrhea (p = 0.03). Free T4 was correlated with age (p = 0.007), diarrhea (p = 0.021), anxiety (p = 0.024), heart rate (p = 0.00) and Graves' disease (p = 0.04). More voluminous the goiter, higher the free T4 (p = 0.007). CONCLUSION: Hyperthyroidism in children differs from that in adults because of induction factors, growth disturbances and enuresis. Age and sex seem to favor the clinical picture of thyrotoxicosis and its associated signs.

[Alobar holoprosencephaly associated with diabetes insipidus and hypothyroidism in a 10-month old infant]. / Holoprosencéphalie alobaire avec diabète insipide et hypothyroïdie chez un nourrisson de 10 mois.

Holoprosencephaly (HPE) is a serious brain malformation due to a failure of medial forebrain cleavage. This is an abnormality which is more often associated with craniofacial malformations, psychomotor development delay, diabetes insipidus and variable endocrine disorders. It is due to different causes including chromosomal abnormalities (trisomy 13, 18)and polymalformative syndromes (CHARGE Syndrome). Diagnosis is based on brain imaging. A few rare cases have been described in the literature. We here report the case of alobar HPE in a 10-month old infant. Diagnosis was based on cerebral CT scan performed due to delayed psychomotor development and in the absence of visible malformations. Endocrine assessment allowed to detect central diabetes insipidus and central hypothyroidism, probably of hypothalamic origin.

[Epidemiological, clinical and hematological profiles of homozygous sickle cell disease during the intercritical period among children in Ziguinchor, Senegal]. / Profils épidemiologiques, cliniques et hématologiques de la drépanocytose homozygote SS en phase inter critique chez l'enfant à Ziguinchor, Sénégal.

Sickle cell disease poses a public health problem in Senegal. It mainly affects children and adolescents. This study aimed to determine the epidemiological, clinical and hematological profiles of homozygous (SS) sickle cell disease in a cohort of children followed-up at the Peace Hospital in Ziguinchor. We conducted a retrospective study of the medical records from children with sickle cell disease. All patients aged between 2 months and 21 years with sickle cell disease SS during the intercritical period, hospitalized during the study period from 1st January 2015 to 31 August 2017 were included in our study. Compound heterozygous patients (SC, S Beta Thalassemia) were not included. We collected 46 medical records of patients with sickle cell disease SS (20 girls and 26 boys). The average age of children was 8,0 years [11 months-21 years]. Approximately 1/3 of children (39.1%) had an age less than or equal to 5 years. There was an ethnic diversity showing a predominance of the Diola (30.2%) followed by the Mandinga (27.9%) and the Poular (25.6%). The average age of children with first crisis was 35,5 months [7-192 months]. More than 1/3 of children (41.3%) had had first crisis before their second anniversary. In the child, first crisis was dominated by vaso-occlusive crisis (32.6%) followed by hand-foot syndrome (30.4%). Clinical signs during the intercritical period were pallor 95.6%), jaundice (36.9%) and splenomegaly (21.7%). Mean white blood cell count was 12465 leucocytes/mm3 [5340-26900]. Hyperleukocytosis greater than 10 000 leucocytes/mm3was found in 34 patients (73.9%). All patients had anemia with an average hemoglobin of 08,6 g/dl [05,7-11,8]. Hemoglobin S rate ranged between 54.6 and 98.4%. Diagnosis and medical management of sickle cell disease SS are delayed in Ziguinchor. Neonatal screening may lead to improve early management of patients in the region.

[Portal cavernoma in children revealed by gastrointestinal haemorrhage: about a case]. / Cavernome portal chez l'enfant révélé par une hémorragie digestive: à propos d'un cas.

Portal cavernoma is a venous vascular anomaly characterized by the formation of a network of veins whose caliber is increased and carrying portal blood. It is due to a thrombotic and always chronic occlusion of the extra-hepatic portal venous system. This is one of the most common causes of portal hypertension in children. Its severity is mainly associated with an high risk of gastrointestinal haemorrhage. Very few cases have been described mainly in African literature. We report the case of a 4-year old boy admitted with very abundant haematemesis, melena and dizziness associated with anemic syndrome on examination. Laboratory tests showed severe microcytic hypochromic anemia with normal renal and hepatic function. Gastrointestinal endoscopy showed esophageal varices (grade III) with red signs. Abdominal ultrasound showed portal vein formation resulting in the classic "spiderweb", in favor of a cavernoma. Abdominal CT scan confirmed portal cavernoma associated with portal hypertensive syndrome and vascular anomaly like an ectopic splenic vein anastomosis with the trunk formed by the gonadal vein and the inferior mesenteric vein. Therapeutic approach was based on blood transfusion and beta-blocker treatment. Portal cavernoma can be a major complication of vascular malformations often unknown. In case of gastrointestinal haemorrhage in children, diagnosis should be suspected. Its management requires early treatment and should be adapted to the patient's condition in order to prevent a fatal evolution.