Polyneuropathies of pregnancy and the postpartum period in Burkina Faso

Abstract

Polyneuropathies of pregnancy and the postpartum period are considered rare but also understudied in Sub-Saharan Africa. They are usually related to a thiamine deficiency in under- or malnourished women. Our aim was to study the clinical and etiological factors of this disease in the Yalgado Ouédraogo University Hospital of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso. Our prospective cross-sectional study lasted for 20 months, from August 2008 to April 2010. During the period, 27 women received this diagnosis. Their mean age was 27.5 years (range: 20 to 38). All but two (92%) had no or a very small or a modest income. Their monotonous diet was based on local cereals and available irregularly. Almost all (24/27, 89%) had developed one or more diseases during pregnancy, primarily excessive vomiting (70%) and severe anorexia (89%). Sensory symptoms were present in 70% of cases, and sensorimotor symptoms in 30%. The cause was always a deficiency-related polyneuropathy. All patients were treated with vitamin B complex and all symptoms disappeared by the third month of treatment. We conclude that polyneuropathies during pregnancy and during the postpartum delivery occur in women eating an unbalanced diet and living in a deprived social and economic situation and that it is manifested by serious vomiting and anorexia.