[Influence of tropical endemic limboconjunctivitis on the distribution of astigmatism in a black pediatric population: A hospital-based case-control study]

PURPOSE

To study the influence of tropical endemic limboconjunctivitis (TELC) on the distribution of astigmatism in a population of black children.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We matched two groups of 36 children between the ages of 3 and 15 by age and sex. Group 1 consisted of children with TELC, and group 2 was made up of controls. All underwent cycloplegic refraction. The studied variables were age, sex, type and stage of TELC, spherical equivalent, absolute cylinder value and clinical type of astigmatism. The odds ratio was used to quantify the link between TELC and astigmatism. We used the Chi2 test for the comparison of qualitative variables and the Student T test for the comparison of the means of quantitative variables. The threshold of significance of the differences was set at 0.05.

RESULTS

Astigmatism was more common in children with TELC (61.97% vs. 37.5%), (OR=1.53; 95% CI 1.08-2.15; P=0.012). The history of TELC was associated with an increased risk of with-the-rule astigmatism (OR 1.91; 95%CI (1.23-2.97).

CONCLUSION

Pediatric TELC is frequently associated with the with-the-rule astigmatism in our practice setting.

Breastfeeding practices in infants in the west region of cameroon

BACKGROUND

The study was conducted to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes and practices of breast-feeding in the West region of Cameroon.

METHODS

A cross sectional descriptive study was conducted in two health facilities on 195 mother-infant pairs, seen at the out patient and vaccination units of the Bafoussam Regional Hospital over a period of one month from 1(st) to 30(th) September 2008. The socio-demographic characteristics of mothers, knowledge on breastfeeding and the practice of breastfeeding were studied. Data was analyzed using the SPSS software. The chi square and student t- test were used for comparison and results considered significant for P< 0.05.

RESULTS

Breastfeeding was practised by 99.48% of the mothers. Only 33.8% of the mothers knew that they had to exclusively breastfeed up to 6 months, and 20% effectively breastfed up to 6 months. The mean duration of breastfeeding was 5.06 months and negatively correlated with the number of children and the profession of the mother. In 69.74% of the women, nothing was given to the baby before the first breastfeed. Discontinuation of breastfeeding was done averagely around 15.24 months and earlier in married women and in those with a higher educational level.

CONCLUSION

Although the majority of parents practised breast feeding, only a minority understood its benefits, so more should be done to educate the community on the benefits of exclusive breast-feeding for up to six months.