SPINAL-DISEASES IN RHEUMATOLOGY CLINICS I N LOME (TOGO)

A retrospective study was conducted to determine the different kinds o f spinal diseases in patients attending the rheumatology unit of Lome hospital, Togo. Among the 4 927 patients seen over a 5-year period, 19 66 (40 %) had spinal involvement. The diseases observed were as follow s : degenerative spinal disorders : 1 872 cases (95 %); infectious dis citis: 41 cas (2.1 %); spondyloarthropathies: 33 cases (1.8 %); tumors : 20 cases (1.1 %). Degenerative spinal involvement affected mainly lu mbar and cervical spine. The only unusual clinical feature was that Sc hober's index was often normal. Lumbar spinal stenosis was common (233 cases, 12.4 %), especially in females, and occurred at an earlier age than in the Western world. Ankylosing spondylitis features included m ildness of extra-articular manifestations and an often negative family history. Pott's disease was de leading cause of infectious discitis. The present study suggests that spinal disorders are as frequent in Af rica as in Western countries.