[Purple urine-bag syndrome: A case report]

Purple urine-bag syndrome is a rare condition that occurs in patients with indwelling urinary catheters carried over a long period and frequently associated with a urinary tract infection. It is characterized by the appearance of a violet coloration of the probe and/or the urine collection bag. We report the first case in West Africa that occurred in a 47-year-old woman in uremic encephalopathy and carrier of a urinary catheter, which presented a violet color of the tubing and urine-bag associated with a urinary tract infection. The outcome was favorable under antibiotic therapy. Many patients benefit from the installation of urinary catheters for various reasons and the occurrence of this syndrome should lead the medical team to systematically seek an underlying urinary tract infection to avoid if possible paraclinical assessments generally costly to our patients without medical coverage in our developing countries.