[Knowledge of sickle cell disease and prevention methods in an urban district of Lomé, Togo].

Despite the important frequency of the gene "S" in Togo, essential information remains insufficient to elaborate a prevention campaign on this affection. In order to assess the knowledge on sickle cell diseases as well as the prevention practices in the Togo population in one of the five districts of the township of Lomé, a cross sectional study was conducted in the third district of the township of Lomé from January 21, 2004 to January 26, 2004 in 210 natives from Togo aged of 15 and over, through a semi-structured questionnaire. The variables studied were: - the socio-demographic features and the knowledge of sickle cell disease characteristics (symptoms, biological diagnosis, treatment and means).

[Evolution of severe pediatric malaria in Togo between 2000 and 2002].

The aim of this study was to analyse the clinical and evolutive aspects of severe malaria in hospitalised children in 2000, 2001, and 2002 in Togo. The study included 361 children in the pediatrics department of Lomé-Tokoin University hospital. All them received a 10% dextrose infusion, then an infusion of quinine or intramuscular artemether.

[Management of priapism in sickle-cell diseases with alpha-adrenergic agonists].

Priapism is a common complication of sickle cell anemia. Two different patterns are described: acute priapism, a prolonged painful erection generally lasting more than 6 hours, and stuttering priapism, which consist of brief repeated self-resolving episodes. Until 1990, priapism in sickle-cell patients has relied on measures aimed at lowering blood viscosity and acidosis and reducing the level of circulating hemoglobin S (alcalinization, hyperhydration, exsanguinotransfusion).

[Diluted injectable quinine in the intramuscular and intrarectal route: comparative efficacity and tolerance in malaria treatment for children ].

The intramuscular (i.m.) route is generally used for treatment of childhood falciparum malaria in outlying health care units in Togo.

[Treatment of cerebral malaria in African children by intravenous quinine: comparison of a loading dose regimen to a regimen without a loading dose].

Objective: To compare in a randomized study the efficacy and the toxicity of the new WHO intravenous quinine treatment of cerebral malaria including a loading dose regimen to a regimen without loading dose.

Patients And Methods: Seventy-two children eight months to 15 years of age with cerebral malaria were included. Quinine formiate was administered to a group of 35 patients in an initial loading dose of 20 mg salt/kg (equivalent to 17.

[Acute osteomyelitis in the child with sickle cell disease in a tropical zone: value of oral fluoroquinolones].

Aim: This study was designed to assess the efficacy and the safety of fluoroquinolones in their compassionate use for acute osteomyelitis in children with sickle cell disease in a tropical country.

Patients And Methods: This study was non comparative, including twelve children (eight SS, three SC and one SEzerothalassemia) treated for acute osteomyelitis with oral ciprofloxacin or ofloxacin because of the following reasons: financial inability to afford conventional parenteral beta-lactams therapy (nine patients), refusal of hospitalization (two patients), and failure of conventional treatment (one patient).

Results: The mean age of patients was 9.

Priapism in sickle cell anemia in Togo: prevalence and knowledge of this complication.

Prevalence of priapism and knowledge on this disease was assessed by interviewing a group of 114 sickle cell anemia patients, 5 years and older, considered to be genotypically homogenous (Benin or #19 haplotype). Prevalence of priapism in homozygous sickle cell patients was 26.3% (30/114) and that of the control group of subjects with Hb AA was 2% (2/102) (the difference was very significant: p = 5.

[Upper arm circumference reference values for children aged 1 to 36 months in Lome (Togo)].

Background: Mid-upper-arm circumference (MUAC) is widely used as a nutritional status index for children. The aim of our study was to construct MUAC-for-age curves for well-fed 1-36-month-old children of a developing country and to compare them with the WHO reference charts based on samples of American children.

Population And Methods: Five thousand thirty-eight boys and 4,972 girls aged 1-36 months were recruited cross-sectionally from 1994 to 1997.

[Ambulatory management of sickle cell disease: evaluation of the first year follow up of patients in the pediatric department of Lomé (Togo)].

Background: This study is an evaluation of the first year ambulatory follow up of patients from the sickle-cell care centre of the paediatric ward of the teaching hospital in Lomé-Tokoin.

Patients And Methods: Togo is situated in the epicentre of the Benin haplotype. A total of 132 patients (109 SS, 22 SC and 1 S beta zero thal) followed up during one year from their admission date (period of 1st January 1996 to 31st December 1997).

Management of sickle cell priapism with etilefrine.

Intracavernous injections of etilefrine were effective in seven children with acute sickle cell priapism, and stuttering priapism resolved in five children after one to seven months of oral etilefrine. Compared with our previous reports in adults, etilefrine appears to be more effective in childhood.

[Sickle cell disease priapism: treatment with intracavernous injections of etilefrine].

Intracavernous injection (ICI) of adrenergic agonists has recently been proposed for treatment of priapism associated with sickle cell hemoglobinopathy and appears to be effective in cases less than 28 hours old. The purpose of this study was to confirm the usefulness of this technique in a large series of patients. From January 1996 through September 1998, 19 patients with sickle cell disease were treated by ICI of etilefrine for one or several episodes of low-flow priapism lasting between 2 hours and 15 days.

[The impact on families of sickle cell disease in Togo].

Aim: In order to master the difficulties due to sickle cell disease, this work aimed at assessing the effects on the families of the presence of a child with sickle cell disease in Togo.

Population And Methods: From April 1 to November 31, 1998, 103 families with one or many sickle cell patients followed up in the Sickle Cell Care Unit of the pediatric department of the Lome Teaching Hospital were surveyed. Main care takers of patients with sickle cell disease, especially mothers (90.

[Health care seeking behavior of children in Togo].

Epidemiological and anthropological studies were carried out in Togo on health seeking behavior for under 5 children to determine causes of dysfunctions in health services. This article reports on the main findings of the anthropological study. Anthropological literature on health seeking behavior has identified labeling and associated explanatory models of illness as important factors for making choices in the use of health services.

[An epidemiological study of health care seeking behavior by children under the age of 5 years at hospital emergency services in Togo].

The functioning and efficacy of pediatric emergency services are currently being questioned in many Northern countries, as well as in the South, for example in North Africa. Reference is often made to unjustified medical emergencies in the face of an influx of patients with benign problems who come from socially disadvantaged families. In the university and regional hospitals in three regions in Togo, we compared three categories of under-5 patients: children sent to "day-time" emergency services after triage done by health personnel; those sent to the "ordinary consultation"; and children brought after hours by their family (without referral by a health professional in 92% of cases) and seen in the "after-hours" emergency service.

Musculoskeletal conditions in children attending two Togolese hospitals.

Objective: A retrospective study was conducted in order to point out the different kinds of musculoskeletal conditions observed in children attending two Togolese hospitals.

Results: A total of 434 (242 females, 192 males) of the 29 620 children examined (1.5%) were suffering from these conditions.

[Primary nephrotic syndrome in the black African child].

Idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS) in black African children differs from that of children in temperate areas. The main differences are the high rate of corticosteroid non-responders and the low rate of minimal change glomerulopathy in black African children, possibly related to a racial factor. The identification of a high corticosensibility in certain African regions (Togo and Ghana) can lead to the identification of an ethnic factor.

[Home care of vaso-occlusive crisis in sickle cell disease in Togo].

Background: Many people with sickle cell disease manage their pain crises at home. This study aims to describe the home management of sickle cell pain by Togolese patients.

Patients And Methods: From July 1996 to April 1997, parents of children with sickle cell disease, and some adults with sickle cell disease living in rural and urban regions were interviewed about their home treatment habits during pain crises.