TITLE:
Therapeutic Routes of a Group of Heart Failure Patients Followed in a Cameroonian Urban Setting
AUTHORS:
Chris Nadège Nganou-Gnindjio, Bâ Hamadou, Melissa Djuidje Djampouop, Marie Ntep Gwet, Félicité Kamdem, Pierre Mintom, Juliette Valerie Ndobo, Siddikatou Djibrilla, Guillaume Ebene Manon, Joel Noutackdie Tochie, Samuel Kingue
KEYWORDS:
Heart Failure, Therapeutic Care Route, Cameroon
JOURNAL NAME:
World Journal of Cardiovascular Diseases,
Vol.13 No.10,
October
31,
2023
ABSTRACT: Background: Heart failure (HF) is a rising global health
problem. Patients with HF tend to use several therapies obtained via different
treatment routes to relieve their symptoms. It is rampant in sub-Saharan Africa
(SSA), leading to poor health-seeking behaviours and worsened HF health
outcomes. We aimed to describe the different therapeutic routes of HF patients
from the onset of their first symptom until treatment in a specialised
cardiology centre to identify and rebuke harmful therapeutic routes. Materials
and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study at the Yaoundé Central
Hospital in Cameroon between December 2018 to July 2019. Patients were
recruited by consecutive convenient sampling. Adult patients aged above 18
years with confirmed HF were included using the Framingham criteria. Variables relating to socio-demographic and clinical data and the
health-seeking behaviours of HF patients were studied. Results: We included 132 patients with a mean age of 62.90
years (62.88% women). Very few patients (0.90%) followed an ideal route; 60.71%
of subjects had a pseudo-ideal route, 19.64% accessed a specialised facility
directly, and 21.42% used an erratic route. At the arrival time in a cardiology
unit, 49.24% and 35.61% of our subjects were in NYHA stage III and IV HF compared
to 15.15% for stage II. None of them was in Stage I. Conclusion: Most
heart failure patients in Cameroon have resorted to non-specialised care, which
worsens their clinical presentation. There is an urgent need for health
education of HF patients in our context.