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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.

This article reports two cases of ectopia cordis in two children aged one day and twenty months respectively. A one day old newborn had complete thoracic ectopia cordis associated with an internal cardiac defect and severe thoracic and abdominal wall malformations. The centre does not have the facilities to manage complex congenital defects and prior to being transferred to a cardiac centre, the neonate died on the second day of admission. A 20-month old baby had partial ectopia of the heart and a defect in the abdominal wall. He had no major congenital cardiac defect and has remained clinically stable with no life threatening symptoms, peer-reviewed

Children's health programs in Sub-Saharan Africa have always been oriented primarily to infectious diseases and malnutrition. We are witnessing in the early 21(st) century an epidemiological transition marked by the decline of old diseases and the identification of new diseases including heart disease. Therefore, it is necessary to describe the spectrum of these diseases in order to better prepare health workers to these new challenges.We conducted a cross-sectional study focused on heart disease diagnosed by echocardiography in children seen from January 2006 to December 2014 in a pediatric hospital of Yaounde. We collected socio-demographic data and the types of heart disease from registers, patients files as well as the electronic database of echocardiographic records.A total of 2,235 patients underwent echocardiographic examination during the study period including 1,666 subjects with heart disease. Congenital cardiopathies were found in 1,230 (73.8%) patients and acquired abnormalities in 429 (25.8%). Seven children (0.4%) had a combination of both types. Congenital heart defects (CHD) were dominated by ventricular septal defect (VSD). Acquired heart disease was mostly rheumatic valvulopathies. Dyspnea on exertion was the most frequent presenting complaint (87.6%). Discovery of a heart murmur was the principal clinical finding on physical examination (81.4%). The median age was 9 months for congenital heart disease and 132 months for acquired heart disease.As infectious diseases recede and the diagnostic facilities are improving, pediatric heart diseases occupy a more important position in the spectrum of pediatric diseases in our context. However, the ability to evoke the diagnosis remains unsatisfactory by the majority of health personnel and therefore needs to be improved. Apart from congenital heart diseases, the impact of acquired heart diseases, rheumatic valvulopathy being the highest ranking, is remarkable in pediatrics. Awareness of health personnel for better management of child tonsillitis is more than ever a necessity. This preventive attitude of rheumatic heart disease is the main attitude available in our disadvantaged economic environment.

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

Introduction: Les anémies sévères constituent une cause importante de décès d’enfants. Une analyse épidémiologique et clinique permettrait d’estimer la morbidité et mortalité y relatives afin lutter efficacement contre les causes. Méthodes: Notre étude rétrospective et descriptive porte sur les anémies sévères chez les enfants de 2 mois à 15 ans de juillet 2005 à juillet 2011. Les drépanocytaires et les enfants souffrant de néoplasie étaient exclus. Toutes les admissions de janvier 2008 à juillet 2011 et les décès totaux, qui répondaient aux critères ci-dessus ont été également répertoriés. Résultats: Ont été analysés 4735 cas d’anémie sévère dont 215 décès (4,5%). Entre janvier 2008 et juillet 2011, sur 12879 enfants hospitalisés 2456 souffraient d’anémie sévère dont 96 sont décédés, soit une mortalité spécifique de 0,7% et une létalité de 4,0%. Au total, 22,4% d’anémies sévères survenaient dans la tranche d’âge de moins de 12 mois. Celles de 12 à 59 mois et de plus de 5 ans représentaient respectivement 64,4% et 13,2% des cas. Le paludisme était l’étiologie évoquée chez 89,0% des cas, suivi du sepsis (9,4%). Les décès concernaient les enfants sévèrement anémiés âgés de 12 à 59 mois dans 67,2% de cas. La plupart de patients (84,8%) résidaient à Yaoundé (P = 0,004). Conclusion: Les anémies sévères restent fréquentes à Yaoundé. La mise en oeuvre de da politique de gratuité des antipaludiques et l’utilisation des moustiquaires doivent être effectives. Le renforcement de ces mesures dès le début des saisons pluvieuses préviendrait les flambées d’anémies.Pan African Medical Journal 2012; 12:46

Le tétanos est évitable par la vaccination, mais peut survenir en cas d’une immunisation incomplète. Nous avons mené une étude sur les dossiers médicaux des enfants admis pour tétanos entre 2008-2009 au Centre Mère et Enfant de la Fondation Chantal BIYA à Yaoundé. Le but était d’analyser les circonstances de survenue et les manifestations cliniques du tétanos chez le grand enfant, afin de proposer des stratégies de prévention adaptées au contexte camerounais. Le statut vaccinal était inconnu chez un patient, les autres (80%) n n n’avaient avaient avaient pas reçu de rappel vaccinal. Les portes d’entrée étaient les plaies aux membres, l’une était secondaire à une injection médicamenteuse. Tous ont présenté le tétanos généralisé. Le décès était survenu chez un patient. Le tétanos n’est pas rare chez le grand enfant au Cameroun. Il se dégage ainsi la problématique des rappels vaccinaux.