Burden of gluteal fibrosis and postinjection paralysis in the children of Kumi District in Uganda
Date
2018Author
Kristin, Alves
Norgrove, Penny
John, Ekure
Robert, Olupot
Olive, Kobusingye
Jeffrey N., Katz
Coleen S., Sabatini
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Abstract
Background: The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of postinjection paralysis (PIP) and gluteal
fibrosis (GF) among children treated in a rural Ugandan Hospital.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study by reviewing the musculoskeletal clinic and community
outreach logs for children (age < 18 yrs) diagnosed with either PIP or GF from Kumi Hospital in Kumi, Uganda
between 2013 and 2015. We estimated the prevalence as a ratio of the number of children seen with each
disorder over the total population of children seen for any musculoskeletal complaint in musculoskeletal clinic
and total population of children seen for any medical complaint in the outreach clinic.
Results: Of 1513 children seen in the musculoskeletal clinic, 331 (21.9% (95% CI 19.8–24.1%)) had PIP and
another 258 (17.1% (95% CI 15.2–19.0%)) had GF as their diagnosis. Of 3339 children seen during outreach for
any medical complaint, 283 (8.5% (95% CI 7.6–9.5%)) had PIP and another 1114 (33.4% (95% CI 31.8–35.0%))
had GF. Of patients with GF, 53.9% were male with a median age of 10 years (50% between 7 and 12 years
old). Of patients with PIP, 56.7% were male with a median age of 5 years (50% between 2 and 8 years old).
Conclusion: PIP and GF comprise over 30% of clinical visits for musculoskeletal conditions and 40% of outreach visits
for any medical complaint in this area of Uganda. The high estimated prevalence in these populations suggest a critical
need for research, treatment, and prevention.
Keywords: Gluteal fibrosis, Post-injection paralysis