The gout epidemic in French Polynesia: a modelling study of data from the Ma'i u'u epidemiological survey.

Background: Gout is the most common cause of inflammatory arthritis worldwide, particularly in Pacific regions. We aimed to establish the prevalence of gout and hyperuricaemia in French Polynesia, their associations with dietary habits, their comorbidities, the prevalence of the HLA-B*58:01 allele, and current management of the disease.

Methods: The Ma'i u'u survey was epidemiological, prospective, cross-sectional, and gout-focused and included a random sample of adults from the general adult population of French Polynesia.

Screening for Predictors of Chronic Ciguatera Poisoning: An Exploratory Analysis among Hospitalized Cases from French Polynesia.

Ciguatera poisoning is a globally occurring seafood disease caused by the ingestion of marine products contaminated with dinoflagellate produced neurotoxins. Persistent forms of ciguatera, which prove to be highly debilitating, are poorly studied and represent a significant medical issue. The present study aims to better understand chronic ciguatera manifestations and identify potential predictive factors for their duration.

[Erysipelas].

Erysipelas. Erysipelas is a non-necrotizing acute dermohypodermitis of streptococcal origin (group A beta-hemolytic streptococcus) that usually affects adults and tends to reoccur. Risk factors recognized by the 2000 Consensus Conference are lymphedema, the existence of a gateway and obesity.

Increase in cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome during a Chikungunya outbreak, French Polynesia, 2014 to 2015.

During the recent chikungunya fever outbreak in French Polynesia in October 2014 to March 2015, we observed an abnormally high number of patients with neurological deficit. Clinical presentation and complementary exams were suggestive of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) for nine patients. All nine had a recent dengue-like syndrome and tested positive for chikungunya virus (CHIKV) in serology or RT-PCR.

[Ciguatera fish poisoning].

Ciguatera, an ichtyosarcotoxism linked to the consumption of usually healthy coral fish is a common poisoning in the Pacific, Caribbean and Indian Ocean where it is endemic. However, increased tourism and commercial transportation of tropical fish for consumption make it an unexceptional intoxication in countries away from its endemic area. Environmental stresses such as climate changes also contribute to the expansion of its geographical area.

Angiostrongylus cantonensis eosinophilic meningitis: a clinical study of 42 consecutive cases in French Polynesia.

Introduction: In endemic areas, eosinophilic meningitis is mainly caused by Angiostrongylus cantonensis. We describe a series of this poorly-known condition.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study (2000-2012) including all patients diagnosed with eosinophilic meningitis in French Polynesia.

Good's syndrome and IgA monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance.

Characterised by the association of a thymoma, hypogammaglobulinaemia, and B-cell and T-cell dysfunction, Good's syndrome (GS) is a rare cause of adult immunodeficiency leading to recurrent infections, and autoimmune manifestations related to the thymoma. We describe a 70-year-old woman in whom the diagnosis of GS was made after 7 years follow-up of a monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS). After thymectomy, she received monthly intravenous immunoglobulin perfusions in order to maintain a normal plasmatic IgG level.

Intraosseous pneumatocysts: a case based review.

Intraosseous pneumatocysts are benign gaseous bone lesions, generally asymptomatic and incidentally discovered on X-ray. These characteristics explain why these lesions are unknown to most practitioners and their low representation in medical literature. The description of an incidentally discovered iliac pneumatocyst gives us the opportunity to provide a review of available medical literature on these frequent, but poorly known lesions.

[Neurological manifestations of dengue].

Background: An epidemic of type 4 dengue was raging in the Pacific from 2008 to 2010. During this period, several patients were hospitalized at the Hospital Centre of Tahiti for neurological disorders occurring during a dengue fever. These events are not the typical picture, which is represented by a flu-like syndrome and sometimes, in severe cases, a haemorrhagic syndrome or shock.