[Rachitic deformities of lower members in congolese children].

Background: To analyse risk factors in rachitic Congolese children with serious deformities in their lower members and to describe the lesions.

Methods: The authors analysed the parameters obtained in a survey of two groups of children: a group of 194 rachitic children with severe deformities of their members and another control group of 107 healthy children of similar ages. The types of deformity and the degrees of rachitism were described.

Influence of the type of load on the cervical spine: a study on Congolese bearers.

Background Context: Cervical spine suffers degenerative changes with age and activity.

Purpose: The aim is to study the cervical spine of African head bearers by analyzing clinical changes and radiographic degenerative signs in comparison with a control group.

Study Design: Two groups of bearers, 28 bearers of heavy loads (50 to 60 kg) over short stretches and 33 bearers who carried bundles or lighter loads (30 to 35 kg) over long distances were clinically and radiographically examined and compared with a control group of 36 building industry workers who did not bear weights on their heads.

The development in footprint morphology in 1851 Congolese children from urban and rural areas, and the relationship between this and wearing shoes.

The footprints of 1851 Congolese children were studied using the index of Chippaux-Smirak, Staheli's index of the arch, and Clarke's angle. The sample consisted of 906 girls and 945 boys aged between 3 and 12 years, including city children who wore shoes and children from rural areas who had gone barefoot. At the ages of 3 and 4 years, most feet were morphologically flat, but the proportion of flat feet decreased with age in both sexes.

Effect of axial load on the cervical spine: a study of Congolese woodbearers.

We studied the cervical spine radiographically of 72 women between 24 and 78 years of age who had carried wood on their head for a mean of 12 (5-41) years and compared the findings with those of 44 women between 21 and 80 years of age who served as controls. The height of the intervertebral discs and the vertebral bodies was statistically lower among woodbearers. Osteophytes were seen infrequently in pre-menopausal women in the study group, and their presence related to age ( P<0.