Challenges in the diagnosis and management of anti-phospholipid syndrome: a case from Cameroon.

BACKGROUND: Anti-phospholipid syndrome (APLS) is a condition characterized by the presence of raised plasma levels of anti-phospholipid antibodies associated with thrombo-embolic disease and/or poor obstetrical outcomes in women. The epidemiology of APLS is unknown in most sub-Saharan African countries due to limited access to diagnosis tools. We report the case of APLS in a 29-year-old obese woman that was preceded by pre-eclampsia and fetal death. The diagnosis of APLS was made during a thrombo-embolic episode 4 years after the poor obstetrical outcome. Her management was challenging, as she had three thrombo-embolic events within 18-months despite treatment with anti-coagulant (acenocoumarol). CONCLUSION: This case highlights the need for screening for APLS after an episode of hypertensive disease in pregnancy or fetal death, and the challenges faced with the treatment, such as resistance to antivitamin K anti-coagulants and the desire for maternity.

Patterns and trends in mortality among HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected patients in a major Internal Medicine Unit in Yaoundé, Cameroon: a retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the trends in mortality and the spectrum of disease in HIV-infected and -uninfected inpatients in a population in Yaoundé. DESIGN: A retrospective study. SETTING: Internal Medicine Unit, University Hospital Centre, Yaoundé, Cameroon. PARTICIPANTS: All deaths registered between January 2000 and May 2007 in the unit. MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES: Sociodemographic characteristics, clinical features and results of all investigations done, cause of death. RESULTS: During the study period, 362 deaths were registered, consisting of 281 (77.6%) in HIV-infected patients, 54.4% of which were women. HIV-infected patients were younger (mean age: 40.2 (SD: 11.6) vs. 55.5 (SD: 18.3) years, p < 0.001) and economically active (60.3% vs. 24.4%, p < 0.001). Most HIV-infected patients (77.6%) were classified as WHO stage IV, with the rest being WHO stage III. Most HIV-infected patients (87.8%) had evidence of profound immunosuppression (CD4 < 200 cells/mm(3)). The mortality trend appeared to be declining with appropriate interventions. The most frequent causes of death in HIV-infected patients were pleural/pulmonary tuberculosis (34.2%), undefined meningoencephalitis (20.3%), other pneumonias (18.2%), toxoplasmosis (16.4%), cryptococcal meningitis (14.2%) and Kaposi sarcoma (15.7%). HIV-uninfected patients died mostly as a result of chronic diseases including liver diseases (17.3%), kidney failure (13.6%), congestive heart failure (11.1%) and stroke (9.9%). CONCLUSION: There was a declining mortality due to HIV with appropriate interventions such as subsidised tests for HIV-infected patients, increased availability of HAART and other medications for prevention and treatment of opportunistic infections. The spectrum of HIV disease was wide and preventable.

The spectrum of cardiac disease in the West Region of Cameroon: a hospital-based cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease is a growing public health problem in Africa. The extent of heart disease in Cameroon remains largely unknown. This study aimed at reporting the etiology of cardiac disease in a cardiologic clinic situated in a semi-urban area in the West region of Cameroon. METHODS: This is an analysis of echocardiographic diagnosis of cardiac disease done between July 2008 and October 2010 at the "Centre Medical de la Trinité" in the West region of Cameroon. Data included age, sex and echocardiographic findings. RESULTS: A total of 1252 patients presented with abnormal echocardiograms, 60.4% (n = 756) being female and 85.8% (n = 1074) aged over 50 years. Overall, the most important conditions were hypertensive heart disease (41.5%, n = 520) and cardiomyopathies (30.5%, n = 382). Among patients aged less than 10 years, congenital heart diseases were the most frequent (52.4%, n = 22), and rheumatic heart disease was the most important cardiac condition in patients aged 10 to 19 years (62.1%, n = 18) and those aged 20 to 39 years (53.3%, n = 8). Congenital heart diseases included persistent ductus arteriosus (27.6%, n = 8), tetralogy of Fallot (20.7%, n = 6) and inter-atria/interventricular communication (20.7%, n = 6). CONCLUSION: Hypertension is the leading cause of cardiac disease among the elderly in our setting, emphasizing the necessity to strengthen the preventive strategies against hypertension in Cameroon. Rheumatic heart disease and congenital heart disease frequent in children and youths highlight the need of early detection and treatment of throat infections, and of routine cardiac surgery services in Cameroon.