Myelopathies in Ethiopia

From December 1990 to December 1993, 130 patients who had a lesion localized to the spinal cord were admitted to the Tikur Anbessa Hospital, Department of Internal Medicine, Addis Ababa. These patients accounted for 18.0% of all neurological admission to this department. The male/male female ratio was 1:8:1; the mean age was 40 years for these patients; 52% were from Addis Ababa City and 48% of them were coming from the rest of the country. Paraparesis or paraplegia (77%) and quadriparesis or quadriplegia (23%) were the commonest presenting complaints. Sensory level, sphincter dysfunction and bedsores were found in 70%, 54% and 14% of the cases respectively. Tuberculous spondylitis was found to be the leading cause accounting for 35 (26.9%), and HIV-1 myelopathies was the second common type accounting for 22 (16.9%) of spinal cord disease. Metastatic cord compression, tropical spastic paraparesis, (progressive non compressive myelopathy), cervical spondylosis, primary cord tumours and transverse myelitis were also not uncommon. Death related to sepsis or other causes were documented in 14 (10.8%). Follow-up was arranged on discharge, and only 45 (38.8%) patients were able to attend at least once the neurology referral clinic. Myelopathy is an important neurological disease and currently HIV-1 associated myelopathy has become the second important presumed cause.