Septic Arthritis of the Hip in Lome (Togo)

Abstract

Objectives: To determine the epidemiological, clinical, and bacteriological characteristics of septic arthritis of the hip (SAH) among patients hospitalized in the departments of Rheumatology in Lomé. Patients and Methods: This was a multicentre, descriptive study, conducted over a 16-year period, from January 2004 to December 2020 on patients’ records at the three departments of Rheumatology in Lomé. We included in this study only patients with complete laboratory and radiological data. Patients who underwent hip replacement surgery and those with arthritis of the hip due to all inflammatory arthropathies were excluded. The diagnosis of SAH was based on clinical, radiological and bacteriological features. In the absence of bacteriological confirmation, the presumptive etiological diagnosis was based on epidemiological data, contacting with a person with tuberculosis, the presence of high-grade fever, the mode of presentation of the symptoms, the patient’s general appearance, and the result of the tuberculin skin test. The data was collected using Epi info 7.0 and statistical analysis was performed using STATA/IC 11.0. Results: Out of 3776 patients hospitalized in the three departments over the study period, 705 (18.67%) were diagnosed with septic arthritis of which 70 (9.92%) patients with SAH. The 70 patients with SAH were 44 (62.86%) females, and 26 (37.14%) males (Table 1), with a sex ratio of 1.7 F/M. The mean age of the patients was 42.43 ± 19.37 years (range: 5 years and 80 years) and the mean duration of symptoms was 6.57 ± 8.85 months (range: 2 days and 48 months). The pain was inflammatory in nature in 46 (65.71%) and mechanical in nature in 24 (34.29%) patients. The onset of the disease was progressive in 50 (71.43%) patients and sudden in 20 (28.57%) patients. The locations of the pain were: groin only 25 (35.71%), greater trochanter only 15 (21.43%), groin and lower back 14 (20%), and groin and greater trochanter 9 (12.86%). Sixty-four patients (91.43%) were limping and only six (08.57%) were crippled. Weight loss was noted in 38 (54.29%) patients. A risk factor was identified in 63 (90.00%) patients; they were chronic alcohol abuse 24 (34.29%), poor hygiene 17 (24.29%), sickle cell disease 13 (18.57%), HIV infection five (7.14%), and diabetes four (05.71%). Radiologic features suggestive of SAH were seen on plain radiograph and computed tomography in 55 (78.57%) and 15 (21.43%) patients, respectively. The SAH was unilateral (48 right hip and 20 left hip) in 68 (97.14%) patients and bilateral in two (02.86%) patients. The diagnosis of SAH was probable tuberculosis in 46 (65.71%) patients and probable pyogenic bacteria in 24 (34.29%) patients. The outcome was favourable in 68 (97.14%) patients and two (02.86%) patients died. Conclusion: The hip remains a relatively rare localization of infectious pathologies. Most cases of SAH are due to tuberculosis.