Beriberi, recurrent nutritional disease in a detention house in Côte-d'Ivoire

• Published in: Bulletin de la Societe de pathologie exotique (1990) Vol. 104; no. 5; pp. 347 - 351
• Main Authors: Aké-Tano, O, Konan, E Y, Tetchi, E O, Ekou, F K, Ekra, D, Coulibaly, A, Dagnan, N S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: French
• Published: France 01-12-2011
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Beriberi - epidemiology; Cote d'Ivoire - epidemiology; Disease Progression; Epidemics - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Nutrition Disorders - epidemiology; Prisoners - statistics & numerical data; Prisons - statistics & numerical data; Recurrence; Retrospective Studies; Social Class; Young Adult; Cote d'Ivoire
• ISSN: 0037-9085
• DOI: 10.1007/s13149-011-0136-6

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.