[Psychosocial impact of sickle cell disease in the parents of children living in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo: a qualitative study]

Caregivers' Perspective on the Psychological Burden of Living with Children Affected by Sickle Cell Disease in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of Congo

There is limited information on knowledge, perceptions, and management of sickle cell disease (SCD) in Africa in general and in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in particular. This study explored knowledge, perceptions, and burden of 26 parents/caregivers of children with SCD in three selected hospitals in Kinshasa, DRC. We conducted a focus group with in-depth interviews with parents/caregivers of children affected with SCD. Four themes were discussed, including knowledge and perceptions, diagnosis and management, society's perceptions, and the psychosocial burden and the quality of life of the family affected by SCD. The majority of participants/caregivers felt that society, in general, had negative perceptions of, attitudes toward, and knowledge about SCD. They reported that children with sickle cell are often marginalized, ignored, and excluded from society or school. They face a number of challenges related to care, management, financial difficulties, and a lack of psychological support. The results suggest the need to promote measures and strategies to improve knowledge and management of SCD in Kinshasa, DRC.

Pairing parents and offspring's HemoTypeSC Test to validate results and confirm sickle cell pedigree: a case study in Kisangani, the Democratic Republic of the Congo

OBJECTIVES

HemoTypeSC^TM is one of the immunoassay methods currently used for the early diagnosis of Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) in newborns. Earlier diagnosis remains the key strategy for early preventive care needs and parents' education about the child's future well-being throughout his life. Before considering these children as sick and aligning them for regular medical monitoring, it may be valuable to confirm the HemoTypeSC result with a secondary laboratory testing method. In resource-limited settings, where confirmatory methods are not always available, we propose testing the parents to validate the HemoTypeSC result.

METHODS

This study explored this approach in the city of Kisangani. It was a prospective diagnostic accuracy study using genotype biological parents to evaluate HemoTypeSC's performance in the newborn.

RESULTS

Fifty-eight children born to 46 known mothers, and 37 known fathers, have been tested. The phenotyping showed that 41 (70.7%) children were SS, whose 37 were born to a couple AS/AS and 4 to a couple AS/xx. Of the 41 SS children, 8 (19.5%) were newborns and 33 (80.4%) were children; 12 (20.6%) children were AS, one of whom was born to a couple SS/AA and 11 to a couple AA/SS; 5 (8.6%) children were AA. In this population, the probability of offspring born to AS/AS parents being SS rather than AS is high (odds, 1.25). No statistical difference was observed between girls and boys. The pedigree of all 58 children has been confirmed.

CONCLUSION

We demonstrated that testing biological parents with HemoTypeSC is a reliable confirmatory method for newborn screening but it presents some limitations discussed in the present article.

[Administration of analgesics at home for the treatment of vaso-occlusive crises before admission to hospital]

Introduction

vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs) are the primary reason for admission and hospitalization in children with sickle cell disease and most often they require home care before arriving to consultation. The purpose of this study was to describe home-based therapy for children with sickle cell disease admitted with VOCs.

Methods

we conducted a descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study, in the pediatric emergencies at the Mother and Child Centre of the Chantal Biya Foundation (CBF) over a 4-month period from February to May 2018. Consecutive sampling was used. All patients with sickle cell disease presenting with VOCs were included in the study.

Results

one hundred and fifty-two patients were enrolled. The most represented age group was 5- 10 years. Eighty-two patients (54%) presented more than 24 hours after the onset of the crises and 70 (46%) in the first 24 hours; 80% (n=122) of our sample had received analgesic treatment at home. Escalation of therapy was found in 31.2% of cases. The use of prescription medications (75.4%, n=92) was dominant as the 1^st recourse. The dosage for analgesics was not correct in 67% of cases (overdose in 70% of cases). The correct dosage of home-based analgesics was administered in only 33% of patients.

Conclusion

this study shows that home-based management of VOCs is inadequate. Measures must be taken to ensure that all patients with sickle cell disease can effectively manage minor to moderate VOCs at home.

Neuropsychiatric and socio-cultural aspects in a Malian family with spinocerebellar ataxia

Introduction

Spino-cerebellar ataxia or SCA are dominant neurological diseases caused by mutations in several genes. According to social and cultural contexts, especially in populations with low education level, the advent of such diseases might generate other kinds of suffering beside those caused by the physical impairment and disability. The aim of this work was to determine the impact of this disease in patients and their relatives.

Methods

It was a qualitative approach carried out through semi-directive clinical interviews, neuropsychiatric observations and the administration of the Hamilton depression scale.

Results

The study included a polygamous family in which mothers had 10 and 12 maternities. Neurological manifestations concerned four children of the same siblings and the father in a subtle form. The mother of these children was designated as responsible for the transmission of the disease and presented a reaction depression. Irritability, anxiety and depression reactions were observed in two patients and an unaffected brother. The advent of the disease was associated to the hatching of a latent familial conflict related to the father's status that has been established only after four years.

Conclusion

In a social and cultural setting of polygamy, the advent of dominant ataxia with anticipation might revive latent familial conflicts and have psychological and social repercussions on the affected individuals and their relatives.