[Upper digestive tract endoscopy in rural Africa: Togo]

The purpose of this report was to describe the profile of esogastroduodenal disease diagnosed by upper digestive tract endoscopy (UDTE) in a rural area of Togo. This prospective study combines data collected during two two-week screening campaigns carried out in the Kara region. Patients were informed of the presence of the endoscopy team by means of a bulletin on a rural radio station. All male and female patients 15 years or older were included. A total of 220 UDTE procedure reports were recorded and analyzed including 107 men and 113 women with a mean age of 37.7 years (range: 15-84 years). Disease was detected in 72 procedures mainly in the 21 to 41 year age group (47.2 %) with a higher proportion of men than women: 38% versus 27% respectively. The most frequent indications for UDTE were epigastralgia (47.7 %) including 39% of procedures leading to the discovery of disease and diffuse abdominal pain (21.8 %). The procedure was carried out for follow-up purposes in 19.1% of cases. The most common lesions were peptic ulcer (34.2%), inflammatory disease including esophagitis, gastritis, and bulboduodenitis (32.4%), gastroduodenal bile reflux (9.3%), pylorobulbar stenosis (5.5%), tumoral disease (3.7%), and esophageal varicosities (3.7%). This study based on UDTE diagnostic procedures provided insight into the profile of esogastroduodenal disease in rural Africa. These screening campaigns required special organization using appropriate equipment and personnel.