Imatinib mesylate in chronic myelogenous leukemia: a Congolese experience

Background: Chronic myeloid leukemia is a clonal myeloproliferative disorder caused by reciprocal translocation t(9;22) that induces tyrosin kinase protein. Imatinib is a selective inhibitor of this protein.Objectives: To assess responses to imatinib and outcome of Congolese patients with chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia.Design: retrospective study.Settings: Clinical Haematology unit of Teaching Hospital in Brazzaville, CongoSubjects: Newly diagnosed patients with chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia treated with imatinib.Results: A total of 25 males and 14 females with a mean age of 36 years at time of the diagnosis were enrolled in the study. The mean duration of the illness was 11.4 months. Imatinib induced complete hematologic response at 3 months in 100%. Major cytogenetic response was noticed in 87.18%. After a median follow up of 12 months, chronic myeloid leukemia had not progressed to the accelerated or blastic phase in an estimated 91.8% of patients and 86.6% were alive.Conclusion: Imatinib is effective in newly chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia patient even though cytogenetic response rate are lower in Africa than western countries population

Monitoring of erythropoiesis by serum transferrin receptor levels in a case of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and pure red cell aplasia treated with ciclosporin.

The authors present the case of a patient with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia complicated by pure red cell aplasia. Successful treatment with ciclosporin was facilitated by assay of serum transferrin receptor, which demonstrated a prompt and sustained response of marrow erythropoiesis to this therapy

Multiple myeloma and HIV infection: report of 3 cases

peer reviewedHIV infection rages at the endemic state in Sub Saharan African and especially in Congo Brazzaville. We report the observation of three female patients infected with HIV and developing multiple myeloma. The three patients were treated at the University hospital of Brazzaville between 2000 and 2002. In two cases multiple myeloma was discovered after the diagnosis of HIV infection. In the other case, the diagnosis of HIV infection was posterior to the occurrence of multiple myeloma. HIV infection was symptomatic in two cases who received consequently antiviral treatment. Multiple myeloma was diagnosed at an advanced stage in the three cases. The paraprotein was an IgG in two cases and an IgA in the other one. The CD4 counts before treatment were around 200/mm3 in two cases and within normal limits in the third case. Viral load was not measured. VMCP and VAMCP regimens were administered without major complications and under anti-infectious prophylaxis. The follow-up is still insufficient to assess the medium-term evolution and to determine the prognosis of multiple myeloma. The description of these three cases confirms the involvement of HIV in B cell lymphoma genesis

Clinical profile of children with haemophilia at the University Hospital of Brazzaville

Haemophilia is a rare hereditary haemorrhagic disease caused by coagulation factor VIII (haemophilia A) or IX (haemophilia B) deficiency. Very few data exist on this disease in Congo. This survey aims to describe the epidemiological and clinical aspects of the children affected

Pregnancy Outcomes among Patients with Sickle Cell Disease in Brazzaville

Introduction. Sickle cell disease (SCD) is one of the most common genetic diseases in the world. It combines, in its homozygous form, chronic hemolytic anemia, vasoocclusive complications, and susceptibility to infections. It is well known that the combination of pregnancy and sickle cell disease promotes the occurrence of complications that are sometimes fatal for the mother and/or the fetus. Objective. The objective of the current study was to compare pregnancy outcomes among women with SCD with those of women without the diagnosis of SCD. Materials and methods. It was a case-control study carried out in four maternity hospitals in Brazzaville in 2 years (July 2017–June 2019). It concerned 65 parturients with SS homozygous SCD. The mode of childbirth and maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality were compared with those of 130 non-sickle cell pregnant women. Results. The average age was 27 years for SCD women and 31 years for non-SCD women. The average gestational age at delivery was 35 weeks for SCD women and 38 weeks for non-SCD women. From the logistic regression analysis using the comparison group as the reference group, there was excessive risk in SCD compared to non-SCD of infection (29.3% vs. 4.6%, OR = 21.7, 95% CI [7.6–62.7]; p=0.001), cesarean (63% vs. 35.4%, OR = 3.1, 95% CI [1.6–5.7]; p=0.001), prematurity (75.4% vs. 30.8%, OR = 8, 95% CI [3.0–23.2]; p=0.001), low birth weight (52.3% vs. 16.1%, OR = 4.7, 95% CI [2.4–9.4]; p=0.001), neonatal requiring admission to the intensive care unit (40.3% vs. 17.5%, OR = 3.2, 95% CI [1.6–6.3]; p=0.01), and neonatal death (21.5% vs. 4.8%, OR = 4.3, 95% CI [1.5–12.2]; p=0.01). Conclusion. The risk of pregnancy in patients with homozygous sickle cell anemia remains high, on both the maternal and fetal sides