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Epidemiology and Clinical Description of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in Low Income Setting: A Syndrome with Short Survival

Received: 27 May 2015     Accepted: 28 May 2015     Published: 17 June 2015
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Abstract

Background: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a degenerative motor neuron disease. It evolves to loss of autonomy and death. Objective: To describe the cases of ALS clinically definite observed in hospital field. Patients and methods: The retrospective study has covered a period of 10 years (2003-2012) and a total of 10,128 patient’s files were analyzed. The neurology department of our level 3 hospital has located the current study. Six patients with no particular medical history have been reported. The inclusion patients are cases where the diagnosis of ALS was clinically definite according to the modified El Escorial classification. About 978 of likely, possible and probable cases of ALS were not included. Results: The mean age was 49 years (24 and 67), all males, with a frequency of 0.59 ‰ and an incidence rate of 0.6 cases per year. The clinical signs were marked by the pyramidal syndrome and peripheral neuropathic motor syndrome. MRI or CT scan signs were marked by the bulbar light atrophy. EMG had shown spontaneous activities with reinnervation signs. The histology exam has found neurogenic fascicular atrophy. The average duration of progression of the disease from the diagnostic to death was 17.6 months (6 to 36). The median of survival all cases combined was 42 weeks. Symptomatic treatment was associated to rehabilitation. Riluzole has been established despite its high cost, but without success. Conclusion: This observation highlighted the major difficulties encountered in the management of ALS and its increasing frequency in south Saharan Africa.

Published in American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience (Volume 3, Issue 5-1)

This article belongs to the Special Issue Clinical Neurosciences in Tropical Practice

DOI 10.11648/j.ajpn.s.2015030501.12
Page(s) 5-8
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2015. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Degenerative Diseases, Motor Neuron

References
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Cite This Article
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    Komi Assogba, Souleymane Brah, Damelan Kombate, Kossivi M. Apetse, Rabi Barry-Barque, et al. (2015). Epidemiology and Clinical Description of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in Low Income Setting: A Syndrome with Short Survival. American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, 3(5-1), 5-8. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajpn.s.2015030501.12

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    ACS Style

    Komi Assogba; Souleymane Brah; Damelan Kombate; Kossivi M. Apetse; Rabi Barry-Barque, et al. Epidemiology and Clinical Description of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in Low Income Setting: A Syndrome with Short Survival. Am. J. Psychiatry Neurosci. 2015, 3(5-1), 5-8. doi: 10.11648/j.ajpn.s.2015030501.12

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    AMA Style

    Komi Assogba, Souleymane Brah, Damelan Kombate, Kossivi M. Apetse, Rabi Barry-Barque, et al. Epidemiology and Clinical Description of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in Low Income Setting: A Syndrome with Short Survival. Am J Psychiatry Neurosci. 2015;3(5-1):5-8. doi: 10.11648/j.ajpn.s.2015030501.12

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ajpn.s.2015030501.12,
      author = {Komi Assogba and Souleymane Brah and Damelan Kombate and Kossivi M. Apetse and Rabi Barry-Barque and Mofou Belo and Koffi A. A. Balogou},
      title = {Epidemiology and Clinical Description of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in Low Income Setting: A Syndrome with Short Survival},
      journal = {American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience},
      volume = {3},
      number = {5-1},
      pages = {5-8},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajpn.s.2015030501.12},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajpn.s.2015030501.12},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajpn.s.2015030501.12},
      abstract = {Background: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a degenerative motor neuron disease. It evolves to loss of autonomy and death. Objective: To describe the cases of ALS clinically definite observed in hospital field. Patients and methods: The retrospective study has covered a period of 10 years (2003-2012) and a total of 10,128 patient’s files were analyzed. The neurology department of our level 3 hospital has located the current study. Six patients with no particular medical history have been reported. The inclusion patients are cases where the diagnosis of ALS was clinically definite according to the modified El Escorial classification. About 978 of likely, possible and probable cases of ALS were not included. Results: The mean age was 49 years (24 and 67), all males, with a frequency of 0.59 ‰ and an incidence rate of 0.6 cases per year. The clinical signs were marked by the pyramidal syndrome and peripheral neuropathic motor syndrome. MRI or CT scan signs were marked by the bulbar light atrophy. EMG had shown spontaneous activities with reinnervation signs. The histology exam has found neurogenic fascicular atrophy. The average duration of progression of the disease from the diagnostic to death was 17.6 months (6 to 36). The median of survival all cases combined was 42 weeks. Symptomatic treatment was associated to rehabilitation. Riluzole has been established despite its high cost, but without success. Conclusion: This observation highlighted the major difficulties encountered in the management of ALS and its increasing frequency in south Saharan Africa.},
     year = {2015}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Epidemiology and Clinical Description of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in Low Income Setting: A Syndrome with Short Survival
    AU  - Komi Assogba
    AU  - Souleymane Brah
    AU  - Damelan Kombate
    AU  - Kossivi M. Apetse
    AU  - Rabi Barry-Barque
    AU  - Mofou Belo
    AU  - Koffi A. A. Balogou
    Y1  - 2015/06/17
    PY  - 2015
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajpn.s.2015030501.12
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ajpn.s.2015030501.12
    T2  - American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience
    JF  - American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience
    JO  - American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience
    SP  - 5
    EP  - 8
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2330-426X
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajpn.s.2015030501.12
    AB  - Background: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a degenerative motor neuron disease. It evolves to loss of autonomy and death. Objective: To describe the cases of ALS clinically definite observed in hospital field. Patients and methods: The retrospective study has covered a period of 10 years (2003-2012) and a total of 10,128 patient’s files were analyzed. The neurology department of our level 3 hospital has located the current study. Six patients with no particular medical history have been reported. The inclusion patients are cases where the diagnosis of ALS was clinically definite according to the modified El Escorial classification. About 978 of likely, possible and probable cases of ALS were not included. Results: The mean age was 49 years (24 and 67), all males, with a frequency of 0.59 ‰ and an incidence rate of 0.6 cases per year. The clinical signs were marked by the pyramidal syndrome and peripheral neuropathic motor syndrome. MRI or CT scan signs were marked by the bulbar light atrophy. EMG had shown spontaneous activities with reinnervation signs. The histology exam has found neurogenic fascicular atrophy. The average duration of progression of the disease from the diagnostic to death was 17.6 months (6 to 36). The median of survival all cases combined was 42 weeks. Symptomatic treatment was associated to rehabilitation. Riluzole has been established despite its high cost, but without success. Conclusion: This observation highlighted the major difficulties encountered in the management of ALS and its increasing frequency in south Saharan Africa.
    VL  - 3
    IS  - 5-1
    ER  - 

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Author Information
  • Neurology service, Campus University Teaching Hospital, Lome, Togo

  • Department of Internal medicine, Niamey University Teaching Hospital, Niamey, Niger

  • Neurology service, Campus University Teaching Hospital, Lome, Togo

  • Neurology service, Campus University Teaching Hospital, Lome, Togo

  • Neurology service, Campus University Teaching Hospital, Lome, Togo

  • Neurological Clinic, Sylvanus Olympio University Hospital of Lome, Lome, Togo

  • Neurology service, Campus University Teaching Hospital, Lome, Togo

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