[Epidemiolological, Clinical, Etiological, Therapeutic And Evolutive Aspects Of Spontaneous Pneumothoraxes In The Internal Medicine Department Of The University Hospital Center Of Abéche (CHU-A) In Chad].

Introduction: Pneumothorax are frequent reasons for hospitalization in African pneumological settings. The objective of this work was to describe the epidemiological-clinical, etiological, therapeutic and evolutionary aspects of pneumothorax at the Center Hospitalier Universitaire d'Abéché (CHU-A) in Chad.

Materials and methods: This was a prospective and descriptive study conducted in the internal medicine department, from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2021 concerning cases of pneumothorax.

Results: A total of 40 cases of pneumothorax were collected, representing a hospital frequency of 2.38%. The most affected age group was that of 26-45 years (40%) with a male predominance (M/F ratio=2.33). The main contributing factors were smoking (32.5%) and being underweight (55.5%). Acute bacterial pneumonia (57.5%) and tuberculosis (27.5%) were the main etiologies of secondary pneumothorax. Pleural drainage (62.5%), combined with non-specific antibiotic therapy (57.5%) or antituberculous treatment (27.5%) were the main means of management. The evolution was favorable at 90%. We had recorded a hospital mortality of 7.5%.

Conclusion: Pneumothorax remains frequent in our hospital settings. The dominant etiologies were acute bacterial pneumonia and tuberculosis. The evolution is sometimes interspersed with complications such as residual pneumothorax or pachypleuritis.