Henri-Louis Vis

The health of mother and child in rural Central Africa.

In the Great Lakes Region of Central Africa, the population suffers from severe proteo-caloric malnutrition, with adverse affects on maternal and child health. Improvement of maternal nutrition would lead to rapid consecutive pregnancies, reducing the length of time each child could be breastfed and reducing the protein available to each child. Hence, the authors recommend modern birth spacing methods in combination with programs to improve the health of mother and child.

Acute reversible renal tubular dysfunction following intoxication with methyl-3-chromone

An acute reversible Fanconi syndrome was observed in a 3-year-old boy who ingested methyl-3-chromone. The clinical response was similar to that reported following ingestion of degraded tetracycline. The two agents have some similarities in chemical structure.

Breast-feeding and the growth and development of the infant.

Milk production and infant growth were compared in 2 regions of Zaire: the highlands of Central Africa and the city of Bukavu. There were no statistical differences between the 2 groups in breastfeeding patterns or maternal prolactin levels. There were significant differences, however, in anthropometric characteristics and serum albumin levels. Urban women produced almost twice as much milk as women in rural areas. In terms of infant growth, a faltering in weight gain occurs at 3 months of age in rural areas as opposed to 6-7 months in the urban area. In addition, the 1st episode of diarrhea and of intestinal parasitosis occurred earlier in rural children than in their urban counterparts, most likely due to the earlier introduction of supplementary food in rural areas. Height remained well below the reference curve level from birth in the rural sample and from the 3rd month of life in the city. Finally, the serum albumin level remained strikingly low throughout infancy among rural children surveyed. Exclusive breastfeeding for the 1st 5-6 months of life is recommended to combat the exposure the infections and parasitosis conferred by early supplemental feeding.