The University Teaching Hospital of Yaounde (French: Centre Hospitalier et Universitaire de Yaoundé - CHU) is one of the main hospitals in Yaoundé, Cameroon. It was founded by a Presidential decree on 28 October 1965. It has the goal of training general physicians who can diagnose and treat a wide range of diseases, and can provide health education.
Background: Sickle cell disease is a major inherited condition in sub-Saharan Africa, and the sickle cell trait continues to shape reproductive choices among young adults. This study assessed the prevalence of the sickle cell trait among youths in the Fako Division and identified factors influencing knowledge and reproductive decisions. Methods: A hospital cross-sectional study was carried out from January to April 2020 among 300 youths aged 18–40 years in Buea, Limbe, and Tiko. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire that captured sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge of sickle cell disease and trait, behaviour, attitude and reproductive intentions. Haemoglobin electrophoresis was performed to determine genotype status. Descriptive statistics were computed, and logistic regression analyses were used to identify factors independently associated with good knowledge and marriage decisions based on genotype with statistical significance at p<0.05. Results: Among 640 participants who were screened for sickle cell trait, 300 consented to respond to the structured questionnaire. The prevalence of sickle cell trait (AS) was 12.3% (79/640). From the 300 participants who responded, 83.0% (249/300) demonstrated good knowledge of sickle cell disease, only 42.7% (128/300) were aware of their genotype, and 18.7% (56/300) knew their partner's. A significant 76.3% (229/300) indicated that a partner's genotype would affect their marriage decision, while 68.3% (205/300) reported it would influence childbearing choices. Predictors of good knowledge were female sex (aOR: 2.39; 95% CI: 1.17–4.86), residence in Buea (aOR: 7.24; 95% CI: 2.27–23.16), Christian faith (aOR: 10.57; 95% CI: 1.22–91.83), and not having children (aOR: 2.44; 95% CI: 1.09–5.47). Decisions to marry based on genotype were significantly more likely among Christians (aOR: 11.44; 95% CI: 1.01–19.95) and among individuals reporting more than one sexual partner (aOR: 2.04; 95% CI: 1.09–3.81). Conclusion: One in ten youths in Fako carries the sickle cell trait. Despite high awareness, many lacked personal or partner genotype knowledge. Partner genotype influenced reproductive decisions, highlighting the need for improved screening initiatives, premarital counselling, and timely education for sickle cell disease prevention.
Background: The emergence and spread of Multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) represent a major public health issue, particularly amongst patients in haemodialysis units. Haemodialysis units regularly receive patients with renal failure, yet almost all hospitals in Cameroon with haemodialysis units lack a resistance surveillance program. The lack of data on the epidemiology of MDRO in haemodialysis units led us to conduct this study, with the aim of determining the frequency of MDRO carriage among patients and healthcare workers in haemodialysis units in Cameroon. Methods: Nasal and rectal swabs were collected from patients and healthcare staff in two referral hospitals of Yaounde, between November 2023 and April 2024. Bacteria isolated on selective media were identified by biochemical tests and mass spectrometry. Antibiotic resistance profiles and resistance phenotypes were detected according to EUCAST/CASFM 2023 recommendations. Results: A total of 155 participants were selected, including 130 patients and 25 staff members. Several comorbidities were identified among the patients, including cardiovascular diseases and infections. From the 275 samples collected we isolated 59 (21.45%) MDRO with 54 (91.2%) from patients and 5 (8.48%) from healthcare personnel. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE), third-generation cephalosporinase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (3CPE) and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-E) were more represented among patients compared to healthcare personnel with no significant difference in the two hospitals. There was no significant difference between the age groups (P=0.438). The resistance profile of MDRO was similar in the two hospitals. Conclusion: This study revealed a high prevalence of MDRO in the haemodialysis unit, highlighting the need for systematic screening of patients on arrival at the haemodialysis unit and for the strengthening of standard precautions.
Background: Hyponatremia is a very frequent abnormality amongst patients with Heart failure (HF) and significantly increases the morbidity and length of hospital stays amongst these patients. There is limited data on the epidemiology of this condition in sub-Saharan countries like Cameroon. This study therefore seeks to estimate the prevalence of hyponatremia amongst patients admitted for HF in 2 university hospitals in Cameroon. Methods: A hospital-based retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted in two University Hospital in Yaounde; Cameroon on patient files of patients admitted for HF from January 2021 to January 2022. A total of 107 participants were included using exhaustive sampling. Data were obtained from the patients’ medical records and analyzed using SPSS version 23.0. Frequencies were expressed as percentage (%) and continuous variables were presented as mean ± standard deviation. Comparison of categorical variables was done using the Chi-square tests. Results: A total of 184 patients were admitted for HF decompensations in the study period. Of these, 132 files were available but only 107 patient files met inclusion criteria. The female sex predominated in this study (55.1%) with a sex ratio (M/F) of 0.77. The majority of patients in this study were elderly patients with a mean age of 61.3±17.1 years and the age range of 70 years and above being the most frequent (31.8%). The prevalence of hyponatremia in this study was 32.7% dominated by mild hyponatremia (22.4%) followed by moderate (5.6%) and severe (2.8%) hyponatremia. The mean serum sodium level was 36.98 ± 5.24 mEq/l with extreme values of 122.0mEq/l and 148mEq/l. More than half of the participants in this study had a previous diagnosis of hypertension (53.3%) while 16.3% had diabetes mellitus. The most common etiologies for HF in our study were hypertensive cardiopathy (43.9%) and dilated cardiopathies (32.7%). Ischemic cardiopathies made up only 9.3% of etiologies in this study. 64.5% of participants were classified as NYHA class IV on admission. The predominant clinical manifestations at admission were dyspnea (92.5%) followed by pedal edema (76.6%) and pulmonary congestion (54.2%). One tenth of patients presented in a state of cardiogenic shock (10.3%). 45.8% of participants presented an anemia on complete blood count (Hb<12g/dl) while 38.3% had renal dysfunction (eGFR<60ml/min/1.73m2). Conclusion: Hyponatremia is very frequent amongst patients admitted for HF affecting about a third of patients. Despite this high prevalence, the vast majority of cases are mild with very few patients presenting with severe hyponatremia.
