Ionic Disorders Observed in Infants with Severe Wasting at the Yalgado Ouedraogo Teaching Hospital and the Charles de Gaulle Pediatric Teaching Hospital in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Introduction: A higher risk of death is associated with wasting in children if it is not treated properly. The objective of this study was to investigate the ionic disorders observed in infants suffering from severe wasting at Yalgado Ouedraogo Teaching Hospital (YO-TH) and at Charles de Gaulle Pediatric Teaching Hospital (CDG-PTH) in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso). Methods: This was a retrospective study with a descriptive and analytical aim over the period from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2020. Results: It concerned infants aged 6 to 24 months hospitalized at YO-TH and at CDG-PTH from Ouagadougou. We included 271 infants. The mean age of the infants was 14.48 ± 5.44 months with 42.07% which was in the age range of [12 - 18] months. On admission to the hospital, the children had an average weight, height and BMI of 6.22 ± 1.32 kg, 0.73 ± 0.07 m and 11.67 ± 1.53 kg/m². In urban areas 56.46% of children and the main reasons for consultation were fever (88.19%), vomiting (52.80%) and diarrhea (50.20%). Electrolyte disturbances in emaciated infants affected all 8 parameters of the blood ionogram. However, the major disorders were 65.68% hyponatremia, 55.35% hypobicarbonatemia, 41.33% hypoprotidemia and 32.47% hypokalemia in infants aged 6 to 24 months. We found an association between diarrhea and residence with hypokalemia (p = 0.0000) and hypochloremia (p = 0.010), respectively. Conclusion: Severe acute wasting in infants 6 to 24 months of age remains a concern in the hospital setting. The frequency of biochemical disturbances is also high.