The aim of this study is to review over a period of 5 years the clinical spectrum of rheumatic diseases seen in a tertiary hospital in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. A retrospective study of case records was conducted from March 1, 2006 to March 30, 2011 in the Rheumatology service, Department of Internal Medicine of the University Hospital Yalgado Ouedraogo. Of the 4,084 patients seen, 2,381 were women (58.30%) and 1,703 were men (41.70%). The mean age at disease onset was 42.12 years, ranging from 3 to 92 years. Among the rheumatologic conditions, mechanical and degenerative disorders were the most common, found in 3,053 cases (74.76%). Among these cases, spinal pathology predominated, especially low back pain (19.93 %). The frequency of osteoarthritis was 19.70 % (804 cases) with a predominance of knee osteoarthritis (657 cases). Infectious pathology was dominated by osteoarticular tuberculosis (48 cases), particularly Pott's disease (43.68% of infectious diseases). Among the cases of inflammatory arthritides, rheumatoid arthritis was the leading cause (116 cases or 2.84%). It was followed by spondyloarthropathies in which arthritis related to HIV predominated (21 out of 81 cases). Metabolic diseases were mainly represented by the gout (162 cases or 3.96%) with male predominance. Comorbidities included high blood pressure (46.57%), diabetes mellitus (13.78%), hemoglobinopathies (9.66%), epigastric pain (7.25%), and peptic ulcer confirmed by endoscopy (6.75%). Rheumatology in Burkina Faso is booming. The profile of rheumatologic diseases in Burkina Faso, after 5 years of practice, confirms the diversity and importance of these conditions dominated by a degenerative pathology of the spine and limbs, including infectious diseases such as Pott's disease and the inflammatory and metabolic diseases.

The lack of awareness about prostate cancer and other prostate-related issues has been identified as a cause of low survival and higher mortality rates among black men. The aim of this study is to assess the knowledge of prostate cancer (PCa) among men in the general public, in the main city of Burkina Faso (Ouagadougou). The targeted population was black African men aged 25 years and older, with no history of PCa. Six hundred men who provided informed consent were invited to participate in a PCa knowledge questionnaire through face-to-face interviews. The questionnaire was composed of multiple-choice items designed to ascertain participant's characteristics (age, profession, and level of education) and knowledge of prostate and PCa (risk factors, diagnosis tests, and curative treatments). The average age of men was 42 (min 25, max 80), and 63% reported primary school or less. Sixty-two percent admitted they did not know the terms prostate and prostate cancer. Only two respondents (0.3%) cited race as a risk factor, when 90 (15%) perceived too much sexual activity as a risk factor. A majority of respondents (70.3%, n = 422) stated that they were unaware of any diagnosis tests for PCa. The level of education was strongly correlated with PCa knowledge (p < 0.001). Men in the city of Ouagadougou have poor knowledge of PCa. Educational interventions should target the entire populations to improve self-informed decision about early diagnostic possibilities of PCa.

Since December 2019, the pandemic caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) raises a real public health problem. COVID-19 appeared in Wuhan (Hubei province) in China. Drugs that have been used in rheumatology for decades seem to be effective in this infection and are for the most part being studied. The rational use of these anti-rheumatic drugs is based on the cytokinic storm (hyperproduction of IL1, IL6, TNF α) in the body by COVID-19 in its severe form. In this review, the authors make the difference between the infectious and auto-inflammatory part of COVID-19; the disease does not seem to be a risk factor for admission to the intensive care unit for patients suffering from inflammatory rheumatism; however, the poverty of studies on this subject should be noted. The authors also review anti-rheumatic drugs while studying COVID-19 treatment.

Objective: We sought to determine the prevalence of and factors associated with self-medication in patients with rheumatic diseases. Material and Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted from February to July 2013 in the rheumatology department.We included all patients who consulted for a rheumatic disease during the study period and who gave their consent.Results: In total, 203 patients were included; of these, 146 patients (71.92%) had practiced self-medication. Furthermore, 99 patients (48.8%) had practiced self-medication for rheumatologic problems. The mean age of the patients was 45.5 years (range: 18-75 years). State officials accounted for 44.4% of patients. Eighty-one patients were schooled. Low back pain (29.29%) was the main reason for consultation, followed by polyarthralgia (12.12%). Using a visual analogue scale, the level of pain for which patients had used self-medication was rated as >70 out of 100 in 57.6% of patients. Fifty-five patients often self-medicated and 28 patients rarely. Drugs were bought from the pharmacy in 97% of cases. The main channel of self-medication was word of mouth (43.4%). The drugs used were mainly anti-inflammatory drugs (diclofenac: 54.54% and ibuprofen: 57.57%). Ten patients were unaware of the risks of self-medication. In multivariate analysis, sex, education level, and occupation were statistically associated with self-medication. Conclusion:Self-medication for a specific rheumatologic symptom appears less common than self-medication in general. The procedures for responsible self-medication should be defined in Burkina Faso in order to minimize the risks.