Incidence and pattern of neurologic emergencies in children at the mother and child center of the chantal biya foundation

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Incidence and pattern of neurologic emergencies in children at the mother and child center of the chantal biya foundation

Jeannette Epée Ngoué¹, Suzanne Sap Ngo Um^1,2, Jocelyn Tony Nengom^1,2, Isabelle Mekone Nkwele^1,2, Hélène Kamo Doka³, Madeleine Onguene Ngambi¹, Emilienne Epée¹, Hubert Désiré Mbassi Awa^1,2.

¹Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences of the University of Yaoundé I, Cameroon,
²Mother and Child Centre of the Chantal Biya Foundation, Yaoundé, Cameroon,
³Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences University of Ngaoundéré, Cameroon.

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Abstract
Introduction: Neurological distress is life-threatening in most cases. Specific data on neurological pediatric emergencies in our environment are rare. We aim to describe the incidence and pattern of pediatric neurological emergencies.
Patients and method: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted at the Mother and Child Center of the Chantal Biya Foundation in Yaounde. We collected data from the registers of emergency room admission during the year 2020. Any child aged 0 to 18 years who presented with neurological distress main complaint was included.
Results: A total of 5998 children were received in the emergency department during 2020, of which 640(10.1%) were for neurological distress, the average age was 46±6 months with extremes of 1 day and 18 years. The sex ratio was 1.2. The main neurological symptoms that motivated the need of emergency care were convulsions (77.8%), consciousness disorders (8.9%), and behavioural disorders (6.8%). The most frequent diseases were: severe malaria (32.0%), meningitis, and meningoencephalitis (30.8%). The main comorbidities were cerebral palsy (0.9%), sickle cell disease (2.19%), diabetes (0.5%) and hydrocephalus (0.5%).
Conclusion: This study clearly shows that neurological distress is a frequent reason for admission to the Mother and Child Center of the Chantal Biya Foundation emergency room. Their knowledge allows to anticipate and to improve the care offer.

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