Introduction:The extent of neuromeningeal cryptococcosis (NMC) has increased since the advent of HIV/AIDS. It has non-specific clinical signs but marked by high mortality.Objective:To analyze the characteristics of the NMC in sub-Saharan Africa.Materials and Methods:We have conducted a literature reviewed on the NMC in sub-Saharan Africa from the publications available on the basis of national and international data with keywords such as “Cryptococcus, Epidemiology, Symptoms, Outcomes and Mortality” and their equivalent in French in July 2011. All publications from 1990 to 2010 with 202 references were analyzed. The following results are the means of different studied variables.Results:We selected in final 43 publications dealing with the NMC which 24 involved 17 countries in Africa. The average age was 36 years old. The average prevalence was 3.41% and the average incidence was 10.48% (range 6.90% to 12%). The most common signs were fever (75%), headaches (62.50%) and impaired consciousness. Meningeal signs were present in 49% of cases. The mean CD4 count was 44.8cells/mm3. The India ink and latex agglutination tests were the most sensitive. The average time before the consultation and the hospital stay was almost identical to 27.71 days. The average death rate was 45.90%. Fluconazole has been the most commonly used molecule.Conclusion:The epidemiological indicators of NMC varied more depending on the region of sub-Saharan Africa. Early and effective taking care of patients to reduce diagnostic delay and heavy mortality remains the challenges.

Africa is the world’s most genetically diverse, second largest, and second most populous continent, with over one billion people distributed across 54 countries. With a 23% lifetime risk of stroke, Africa has some of the highest rates of stroke worldwide and many occur in the prime of life with huge economic losses and grave implications for the individual, family, and the society in terms of mental capital, productivity, and socioeconomic progress. Tackling the escalating burden of stroke in Africa requires prioritized, multipronged, and inter-sectoral strategies tailored to the unique African epidemiological, cultural, socioeconomic, and lifestyle landscape. The African Stroke Organization (ASO) is a new pan-African coalition that brings together stroke researchers, clinicians, and other health-care professionals with participation of national and regional stroke societies and stroke support organizations. With a vision to reduce the rapidly increasing burden of stroke in Africa, the ASO has a four-pronged focus on (1) research, (2) capacity building, (3) development of stroke services, and (4) collaboration with all stakeholders. This will be delivered through advocacy, awareness, and empowerment initiatives to bring about people-focused changes in policy, clinical practice, and public education. In the spirit of the African philosophy of Ubuntu “I am because we are,” the ASO will harness the power of diversity, inclusiveness, togetherness, and team work to build a strong, enduring, and impactful platform for tackling stroke in Africa.

Background. In the sub-Saharan African, region of the world with a fast growing aging population and where the use of herbal products is very common, there is a paucity of data on medication consumption patterns among elderly people. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of polypharmacy and its associated factors among community-dwelling elderly in Lomé, Togo, in 2017. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted from March to June 2017 in Lomé, Togo among people aged 60 years and older. The Respondent Driven Sampling method was used to recruit participants. Data on socio-demographic characteristics and medication consumption patterns, including the use of medicinal plants and dietary supplements, were collected using a standardized questionnaire during a face-to-face interview at participants’ home. Descriptive and binary logistic regression analyses were performed. Results. A total of 370 participants with median age 65 years, (IQR: 62–71) were enrolled in the study. Almost three elderly in five (57.6%) were multimorbid (had two or more chronic diseases). Conventional drugs (78.4%), medicinal plants (14.3%) and other dietary supplements (9.5%) were used by participants. The prevalence of polypharmacy was 22.7% (95% CI: 18.5–27.3%). Concurrent use of conventional drugs and medicinal plants or other dietary supplements was observed among 17.0% of participants and 67.3% reported self-medication. Multimorbidity (aOR = 4.55; 95% CI: [2.42–8.54]) and female sex (aOR = 1.86; 95% CI: [1.00–3.47]) were associated with polypharmacy. Conclusion. One elderly in five uses five or more medications in Togo. Further studies are needed to assess drug-drug interactions and herb-drug interactions among this population.

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Background Assessing hospital mortality and its predictors is important as some of these can be prevented through appropriate interventions. Few studies have reported hospital mortality data among older adults in sub-Saharan Africa. The objective of this study was to assess the mortality and associated factors among hospitalized older adults in Togo. Methods We conducted a prospective cohort study from February 2018 to September 2019 among patients ≥50 years admitted in medical and surgical services of six hospitals in Togo. Data were recorded during hospitalization and through telephone follow-up survey within 90 days after admission. The main outcome was all-cause mortality at 3 months. Survival curves were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression analyses were performed to assess predictors of mortality. Results The median age of the 650 older adults included in the study period was 61 years, IQR: [55–70] and at least one comorbidity was identified in 59.7% of them. The all-cause mortality rate of 17.2% (95%CI: 14.4–20.4) and the majority of death (93.7%) occurred in hospital. Overall survival rate was 85.5 and 82.8% after 30 and 90 days of follow-up, respectively. Factors associated with 3-month mortality were the hospital level in the health pyramid, hospitalization service, length of stay, functional impairment, depression and malignant diseases. Conclusion Togolese health system needs to adjust its response to an aging population in order to provide the most effective care.

The aim of this article is to describe the first case of Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS) in Togo and review all Africans cases. Our patient was a 12.8-year-old Togolese boy followed in our unit till he was 15-year-old for HGPS. He was the only child of non-consanguineous parents. The phenotypic findings were craniofacial dysmorphy, dwarfism, lipodystrophy, diffusely scattered hyperpigmented foci, pyriform thorax, nail dystrophy, decreased joint mobility, and camptodactyly. He had characteristic facies with prominent forehead, prominent eyes, absent ear lobule, thin nasal skin, convex nasal profile, micrognathia, and crowded teeth. Radiologicals findings were bilateral coxa valga, pyriform thorax, and acro-osteolysis. We sequenced the entire coding region of LMNA gene, and mutation analysis revealed a heterozygous mutation c.1824C>T (p.Gly608Gly). Our patient is therefore the fifth African and the fourth with classical mutation, first of Western Africa, and second of (sub-Saharan) African black race. The recurrence of HGPS is low like the cause is neomutation or germinal mosaicism.

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