title: [Beriberi, recurrent nutritional disease in a detention house in Côte-d'Ivoire].
abstract: As a re-emerging disease, beriberi caused by a lack of thiamine in food threatens more and more prisons in developing countries. Indeed in 2008, a beriberi epidemic occurred in a detention house of Côte-d'Ivoire called Maca. The goal of our retrospective investigation was to describe this epidemic in order to improve prisoners' health. The study related to 131 subjects, 64% of cases affected (N = 205). The total rate of beriberi attack was estimated at 38.6‰. The mean age was 33; all patients were male and they were detained in "Batiment C" (70.2%), synonymous with heavy punishment. They spent about 28.1 month in Maca. The clinical symptoms were neurological signs (swarming: 41%) and cardiovascular signs (dyspnoea: 42%, thoracic pain: 35%). Half of the patients (51%) presented oedemas of the lower limbs. The rate of healing was about 97% when patients followed treatment. Providing good nutrition to the prisoners and the distribution of vitamin complements will avoid other epidemics.
authors.affiliation: Département de Santé Publique et de Médecine Communautaire, UFR SMA, Abidjan, Côte-d'Ivoire. odileake@yahoo.fr
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Aké-Tano
authors.forename: E Y
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Konan
authors.forename: E O
authors.initials: EO
authors.lastname: Tetchi
authors.forename: F K
authors.initials: FK
authors.lastname: Ekou
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ekra
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Coulibaly
authors.forename: N S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Dagnan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001602:Beriberi / Q000453:epidemiology*; D007560:Cote d'Ivoire / Q000453:epidemiology; D018450:Disease Progression; D058872:Epidemics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009748:Nutrition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D011329:Prisoners / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011330:Prisons / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012923:Social Class; D055815:Young Adult