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Introduction: The survival of more preterm babies through improved management techniques may imply an increased risk of non-communicable diseases including obesity, diabetes and other cardiovascular risk diseases with age. The prevalence of these diseases varies worldwide. The main objective of this study was to determine the rates and factors associated with overweight and diabetes in children born preterm at the Yaounde Gyneco-Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital. Methodology: We conducted a retrospective cohort study including children aged 6 to 11 years. Data were collected from the records of premature and full-term infants hospitalized from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2013. Patients were evaluated during outpatient consultation, where height, weight, Body mass index and blood pressure were measured together with fasting capillary blood glucose levels. The Fisher test and the Chi-square test were used to compare proportions. Relative risk (RR) was used to establish the relationship between the different variables. Results: We enrolled 125 children born preterm and 250 born at full-term. The mean age was 8.2 ± 1.6 years. The cumulative incidence of pathologies varied according to type: Overweight 32% in preterm versus 13.6% in full-term (p = 0.00002) and 2.4% with obesity, fasting hyperglycemia 73.20% in preterm versus 48% in full-term (p < 0.001). No cases of diabetes were registered. No factors were significantly associated with the occurrence of these diseases in our series. However, there was a positive correlation between obesity and high blood pressure (r = 1.14, p = 0.000002). Conclusion: Overweight was more common in children born preterm than those born full-term. No cases of diabetes were found but there was a significant incidence of pre-diabetic state.

Background: Infection with the new Coronavirus 2019 SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, is a global pandemic that does not spare children. Pediatric forms of COVID-19 are increasingly described in the literature with less severe clinical forms and lower mortality as compared to adults. We do not have data on the epidemiologic characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children in sub-Saharan Africa where the pandemic is less severe. Aim: We present four cases of pediatric COVID-19 in Cameroun. Case Presentation: These cases of COVID-19 concern children aged 12 weeks to 13 years. We discuss the diagnostic difficulties and the issues of effective management in the context of a resource-constrained country. Conclusion: COVID-19 affects children in sub-Saharan Africa. There are different clinical presentations with favorable outcomes, but there is a need for greater vigilance in the pediatric population.

Introduction: Not only is tuberculosis common in sub-Saharan Africa, but also diagnostic barriers contributed to the delay of treatment in children. We described the diagnostic possibilities of tuberculosis in the context of HIV with limited resources. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was performed with the records of children co-infected with HIV-TB benefited from TB treatment in a pediatric center in Yaounde. The time between the onset of symptoms, diagnosis and early treatment was assessed. Results: A total of 18 files comprising all the clinical information were retained. Malnutrition (94.4%), chronic cough (88.9%) and prolonged fever (44.4%) dominated the clinical picture. Between the onset of symptoms and the evocation of tuberculosis, we recorded at least two months in more than two thirds of patients. Only 11 (61.1%) had received bacteriological research from their gastric secretions or sputum of whom 3 (27.3%) showed the presence of bacilli. The diagnosis of the other 15 was made based on clinical assessment and in the absence of response to appropriate antibiotic therapy. Conclusion: The initiation of antituberculous drugs to children co-infected with HIV was late. The delays in seeking care and financial barriers to paraclinical investigations have contributed. Strengthening the knowledge of health personnel would improve time-on treatment of tuberculosis whose diagnosis was done mostly without bacteriological evidence. The subvention of complementary tests would be a considerable contribution to our context.

La perte du controle des crises chez un patient compliant au traitement est toujours source de preoccupations diagnostiques, therapeutiques et pronostiques. Nous rapportons un cas de rachitisme chez un patient de 4 ans, infirme moteur cerebral et epileptique sous traitement par phenobarbital depuis 2 ans; rachitisme decouvert a la faveur d'une perte du controle epileptique. Le patient etait admis pour des convulsions repetees en contexte afebrile. L'observance therapeutique etait bonne, et aucune convulsion n'avait ete observee pendant les 12 mois precedents. Il ne recevait pas de vitamine D. Le rachitisme etait suspecte cliniquement, et confirme par les trouvailles radiologiques et biologiques. Le controle des crises etait retrouve des le 3eme jour d'hospitalisation apres apports de calcium intraveineux et de vitamine D. Les convulsions etaient imputees a une hypocalcemie sur rachitisme. La prise prolongee de phenobarbital sans supplementation en vitamine D, ainsi qu'une exposition solaire insuffisante etaient incriminees. Avant toute escalade therapeutique, des convulsions hypocalcemiques et un rachitisme doivent toujours etre exclus devant une perte du controle des crises chez tout patient epileptique a mobilite reduite. Par ailleurs, une supplementation en vitamine D et une exposition suffisante au soleil devront etre recommandees pour certains traitements antiepileptiques au long cours. Pan African Medical Journal 2013; 14:25