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Background Sub-Saharan women use smokeless tobacco (SLT) more than smoked tobacco. Among Western African countries, the estimated weighted prevalence of SLT use in rural women was found to be the highest in Burkina Faso (after Sierra Leone). This study aimed to assess the prevalence of SLT use and its associated factors among rural women in Burkina Faso by using nationally representative data. Methods We used data from the 2013 STEPwise approach to Surveillance (STEPS) study, which provided sociodemographic, clinical (anthropometric, systolic blood pressure [SBP], diastolic blood pressure [DBP] and dental symptoms), biological (total and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and fasting blood sugar), and tobacco and alcohol consumption data. Data for 1730 rural women were used, and we performed Student’s chi-squared and logistic regression analyses. Results The prevalence of current SLT use was 13.8% (95% CI: 12.2–15.5). Significant risks for SLT use were the presence of dental symptoms (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.59; p p p p p p p Conclusion The prevalence of current SLT use was high among rural women in Burkina Faso, and significant concerns for users included alcohol co-use, the occurrence of dental symptoms, undernourishment, and an increase in differential blood pressure. National Public Health interventions are needed to reduce SLT use and its health-related concerns.

Objective: Our study aimed at assessing the quality of life (QoL) of patients treated for chronic heart failure (HF), and analyzing the impact of certain factors on that QoL, in the cardiology department of Yalgado Ouedraogo University Hospital of Ouagadougou. Means and Method: It was a descriptive cross-sectional study, performed over a six-month period from May to October 2016. In the study, patients with age over 18 years were included, followed up for chronic HF for at least six months in the outpatient unit, from January 1st to December 31st 2015. The questionnaire “Minnesota Living with Heart Failure” was used to assess the QoL. Results: Two hundred and four patients were enrolled. Most of them were living in Ouagadougou (82.8%). Sex ratio was 0.98, and mean age was 56.06 16.37 years. The mean overall QoL score was 17.8 16.5. QoL was considered good in its three dimensions, in more than 70% of patients. Looking at the mean scores, the male patients, the patients living in rural and semi-urban areas, the patients with impaired left ventricular ejection fraction and those with severe or end-stage renal failure had significant QoL impairment. Multiple linear regression reported significant correlation between QoL impairment and the following factors (p value < 0.05 for all variables): marital life, number of hospitalizations for acute HF, and NYHA functional stage. Conclusion: Marital life, number of hospitalizations for acute decompensation, and NYHA functional stage were predictive factors of QoL impairment. MLHF questionnaire should be commonly used to assess the efficiency of HF management. Self administration instead of assistance in filling the questionnaire, could insure a more objective valuation of QoL.

Introduction: This study aimed at describing the socio-economic, diagnostic, and progressive features of patients evacuated thanks to philanthropic sponsors. Patients and methods: all evacuated patients, contacted through the phone and interviewed, were included in the study. A questionnaire helped in collecting data which were analyzed through the software Epi-Info (version 7). Outcomes: A total of 63 patients out of 134 were included in the study among which there are 22 adults and 41 children. The sex-ratio was 1.30. Patients living in Ouagadougou accounted for 79% of cases. The children’s average age at evacuation was 3.58 ± 3.86 years against 27.52 ± 12.54 years for adults. Ventricular septal defects among children (58.53%) and mitral valve diseases among adults (72.72%) were the main diagnoses at the time of evacuation. The average fall was 47 months for children, and 54 months for adults in the post-operative period. 68% of adults had an income below 50,000 FCFA per month. The evacuation average cost was estimated at 21,083,000 FCFA per patient, corresponding to 2,825,122,000 FCA over 10 years. Each adult patient spent an average of 15,000 FCFA per month for the follow up, against 8725 FCFA for children. 16% of patients were lost of sight in the post-operative. Conclusion: Philanthropic sponsors significantly contribute to the management of cardiac patients, and their efforts should be supported by a better monitoring. Setting-up cardiac surgery and interventional cardiology in Burkina Faso are required to address these health shortcomings.