[Characteristics of effusive pericarditis in N'Djamena (Chad)].

Introduction: Pericarditis is a commun cause of hospitalisation in cardiology and internal medicine wards.

Objective: We aimed to describe the epidemiological profile of effusive pericarditis at the Department of cardiology of the National Referral Teaching Hospital of N'Djamena, Chad.

Methods: We undertook a descriptive cross-sectional study from January 2017 to December 2019. Patients presenting with effusive pericarditis and who consent to participate were consecutively enrolled during the study period.

Results: Overall, 1805 patients were hospitalized at the department of cardiology during the study period with effusive pericarditis accounting for 4.3% of all cases (n = 78). Patients' mean age was 35.84 ± 14 years, [range 16 and 73 years]. The sex ratio was 0.89. Exertional dyspnea, chest pain, poor general condition and fever were main symptoms reported in 90%, 89%, 81% and 51% of the cases respectively. Pericardial rub was found in 51% of the study patients. Eighteen patients (26%) were HIV positive and 97% of the study patients had cardiomegaly. ECG demonstrated low QRS voltage (97%) and diffuse abnormalities of repolarisation (96%). Pericardial effusion was found abundant in 57% of the cases. Etiologies of effusive pericarditis were mainly tuberculosis (47%), idiopathic (21%) and HIV infection (13%). Thirty patients (43%) benefited from pericardiocentesis. The in-hospital mortality rate of the disease was 17%.

Conclusion: Effusive pericarditis is frequent and associated with poor outcome. Treatment depends on etiology dominated by tuberculosis in Chad.