title: [Severe acute colitis: two fatal cases in Dakar].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Severe acute colitis (SAC) is one of the major complications of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), especially ulcerative colitis, and it is life-threatening. Although IBD is considered rare in sub-Saharan Africa, we report 2 fatal cases of SAC in Senegalese patients with ulcerative colitis in Dakar.
  
  
  METHODS
  One patient was a 73-year-old man and the other a 35-year-old woman. In both cases, the diagnosis was preceded by a chronic dysenteric syndrome (febrile in the woman). Despite antibiotic treatment for potential infectious colitis, both patients' condition worsened. Second-line treatment of parenteral corticosteroids did not prevent the occurrence of intestinal perforation for the man, who developed multiorgan failure. The woman developed toxic megacolon during antibiotic treatment, and it was fatal despite bolus corticosteroids: cardiovascular collapse with shock (case 2) occurred before emergency surgery could begin. Conclusion: in subtropical zones where infectious colitis predominates, it is important to consider the diagnosis of SAC in patients with ulcerative colitis and to begin appropriate treatment despite the fear of infection and the difficulty of accessibility to endoscopic exploration.
authors.affiliation: Hépato-gastro-entérologie, hôpital général de Grand-Yoff, Dakar, Sénégal.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dia
authors.affiliation: Hépato-gastro-entérologie, hôpital général de Grand-Yoff, Dakar, Sénégal.
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Cisse
authors.affiliation: Hépato-gastro-entérologie, hôpital général de Grand-Yoff, Dakar, Sénégal.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Diouf
authors.affiliation: Service d'imagerie médicale, hôpital général de Grand-Yoff, Dakar, Sénégal.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kasse-Gaye
authors.affiliation: Hépato-gastro-entérologie, hôpital général de Grand-Yoff, Dakar, Sénégal.
authors.forename: M N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Gueye
authors.affiliation: Hépato-gastro-entérologie, hôpital général de Grand-Yoff, Dakar, Sénégal.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ba
authors.affiliation: Hépato-gastro-entérologie, hôpital général de Grand-Yoff, Dakar, Sénégal.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Boye
authors.affiliation: Hépato-gastro-entérologie, hôpital général de Grand-Yoff, Dakar, Sénégal.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mbengue
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012675:Senegal; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
keywords: Senegal; acute severe colitis; ulcerative colitis