@article{fdi:010095455,
  title = {{R}easons for consultations and afflicted body systems in rural areas of {T}he {R}epublic of the {C}ongo : a cross-sectional study},
  author = {{N}gatse, {J}. {A}. and {N}dziessi, {G}. and {N}iama, {A}. {C}. and {L}epage, {T}. {M}. and {C}ampillo, {J}{\'e}r{\'e}my and {P}ion, {S}{\'e}bastien and {M}issamou, {F}. and {A}bena, {A}. {A}. and {B}oussinesq, {M}ichel and {C}hesnais, {C}{\'e}dric},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{I}n the {R}epublic of the {C}ongo, rural areas are characterized by vulnerable populations and endemic infectious diseases, while health facilities have limited technical capabilities. {O}ur objective was to study the distribution of reasons for consultation and afflicted body systems in rural health facilities. {W}e conducted a cross-sectional study in {B}ouenza, {L}{\'e}koumou, and {S}angha departments. {I}ndividuals attending {G}eneral {M}edicine outpatient services of selected health facilities were included in the study between {S}eptember 2020 and {J}anuary 2021. {R}easons for consultation and afflicted body systems were standardized using the second edition of the {I}nternational {C}lassification of {P}rimary {C}are ({ICPC}-2). {T}he overall results were subsequently stratified by department, sex, and age. {M}ost participants were females (53.2%) and the most attended health facilities for consultation were health care centers (55.9%). {T}he most common reason for consultation was fever (25.7%), followed by headache (8.9%), with the most common combination of reasons for consultation being 'fever-cough-nasal congestion' (4.5%). {I}n {B}ouenza specifically, asthenia (3.0%) and headache (11.6%) were the most common reasons for consultation, whereas skin rash (4.6%) and foot injuries (2.0%) were the most frequent in {L}ekoumou and cough (8.1%) and chills (6.6%) the most frequent reasons for consultation in {S}angha. {A}lthough neglected tropical diseases ({NTD}s) are considered to be common diseases in rural areas of the {R}epublic of the {C}ongo, reasons for consultation related to {NTD}s were uncommon in this study. {A}ccording to the {ICPC}-2 classification, "fever or chills" (taken as non-specific manifestations, thus separate from body systems) and the digestive system were the most afflicted body systems, as observed in 29.7% and 21.2% of cases, respectively. {T}he main reason for consultation was fever, and "fever or chills" was found to be the most frequent afflicted body system, followed by the digestive system. {F}urther studies are required to complete the history of diseases, the medical diagnoses, and collect information during rainy seasons due to the seasonal nature of several diseases.},
  keywords = {{CONGO}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{PL}o{S} {O}ne},
  volume = {20},
  numero = {10},
  pages = {e0333181 [19 ]},
  year = {2025},
  DOI = {10.1371/journal.pone.0333181},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010095455},
}