Frequency and Etiology of Viral Arthropathies in West African Patients

Abstract

Aim: To determine the frequency and etiology of viral arthritis in West African patients at the National Hospital University Hubert Koutoukou Maga of Cotonou. Patients and Methods: It was a cross-sectional descriptive study carried out from January 2010 to July 2014 on patients received in rheumatology, hepato-gastroenterology, pediatric and internal medicine units. The selected patients had viral arthropathy. The diagnosis of viral arthritis was based on the presence of arthralgia or arthritis in the context of a viral infection. Patients with insufficiently explored records were excluded. Results: Among 4361 patients consulted, 49 (1.12%) had a viral arthropathy. The mean age of the patients was 49.13 ± 17.1 [15 -68] years. The sex ratio was 0.58 (31 F/18 H). 38 patients were from Benin, 5 from Nigeria, 3 from Togo, 2 from Mali and 1 from Côte d'Ivoire. Joint symptoms were dominated by polyarthritis (n = 24 cases) and polyarthrlagias (n = 18 cases). Extra-articular signs present were dominated by fever (100%), skin signs (n = 37 cases), flu symptoms (n = 23 cases) and liver disorder (n = 19 cases). Viruses diagnosed were dominated by hepatitis B (n = 17), varicella-zona (n = 8) and HIV (n = 14). Conclusion: Viral arthropathy diagnosis is relatively common in West African patients especially with the HIV. This occurs as arthralgias or arthritis. The diagnosis is difficult in our working condition.

Epidemiological Profile of Autoimmune Diseases in Thiès, Senegal: About a Descriptive Observational Study over 11 Years in 2 Internal Medicine Departments and a Dermatology Department

“…At the time of diagnosis, the most common clinical picture is a combination of cutaneous and articular manifestations. Systemic lupus erythematosus, although rare, was found in first place in our study, and in second place in most African studies; it appears to be more common in the North African region [8] [11]. In Burkina Faso, systemic scleroderma was the leading cause in 33% of cases, compared with 21% in our series.…”

“…One hypothesis to explain the rarity of autoimmune diseases in sub-Saharan Africa is the abnormally high concentration of nitric oxide in patients who have had asymptomatic malaria; this increase in nitric oxide is thought to have a protective effect by reducing the proliferation of auto-reactive cells, making these diseases rare in this part of the world. Gougerot Sjögren's disease has been poorly described in some African studies (0.8% in Benin and 0.3% in Central Africa), but 32 cases were reported in a study carried out in Dakar [8] [11]. We have reported seven cases of isolated dermato-polymyositis in which no neoplasia was diagnosed.…”

“…African studies [8] [10] [11]. The most common presenting complaint in internal medicine and rheumatology departments was osteoarticular symptom such as pain.…”

Clinical Presentation and Evolution of Systemic Lupus at the CNHU-HKM of Cotonou (Benin)

“…In Benin, the available data on lupus comes mainly from two studies based on relatively old data dating back 10 years. These studies showed that lupus is rare, with 33 cases in 14 years, a clinical polymorphism and a case-fatality rate in excess of 12% [5] [6]. These high mortality rates, despite the therapeutic advances of recent decades, highlight the need for improved and optimized disease management in hospitals.…”