DEGENERATIVE DISORDERS, METABOLIC SYNDROME AND FUNCTIONAL IMPACT IN RHEUMATOLOGY IN CHAD: A COMPARATIVE STUDY WITH AUTOINFLAMMATORY DISEASES AND CONNECTIVE TISSUE DISEASES

Objective: To compare the prevalence and characteristics of metabolic syndrome (MS) according to the type of rheumatic disease, including connective tissue diseases, degenerative disorders, and autoinflammatory diseases, in Chad.
Methods: A retrospective, cross-sectional, comparative study was conducted in the Department of Internal Medicine of the National Reference Hospital (CHURN) in N’Djamena from January 2018 to May 2024. Among 5,000 patients followed for various rheumatic diseases, 330 met the 2005 International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria for MS. Patients were classified into three groups: connective tissue diseases, degenerative disorders, and autoinflammatory diseases. Clinical, biological, and functional data (SF-36, DAS28, BASFI, and WOMAC) were analyzed using SPSS version 25.0.
Results: The prevalence of MS was 40.9% among patients with connective tissue diseases, 34.3% among those with degenerative disorders, and 24.8% among those with autoinflammatory diseases. Connective tissue diseases showed the highest rates of abdominal obesity (93.7%), hypertension (88.1%), and hyperglycemia (66.5%). Functional scores were significantly more impaired in the connective tissue disease group (mean SF-36 score = 50.2 ± 10.3) compared with the degenerative (56.8 ± 11.1) and autoinflammatory groups (59.7 ± 10.8; p < 0.01).
Conclusion: Metabolic syndrome was more prevalent and had a greater impact among patients with connective tissue diseases than among those with other rheumatic diseases in Chad. A multidisciplinary approach is necessary to reduce cardiovascular complications in this high-risk population.