Vestibulocochlear infarct, most commonly associated with infarction of a terminal branch of the anterior inferior cerebellar artery, presents with acute vertigo and sensorineural hearing loss. It often mimics peripheral vestibular disorders and may show no abnormal findings on neuroimaging, making the diagnosis particularly challenging. Without appropriate treatment, permanent unilateral hearing loss can significantly impair patients' quality of life. This review synthesizes findings from recent studies regarding the clinical characteristics, diagnostic approach, and therapeutic strategies of this condition. Patients typically present with prolonged vertigo (>24 hours), unilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and imbalance. On examination, peripheral signs such as a positive head impulse test or horizontal-rotatory nystagmus may be observed, while the only indicator of a central origin is the hearing loss, often subtle or unnoticed even by the patient. Vascular comorbidities, including hypertension and diabetes mellitus, constitute key risk factors. Diagnostic difficulties arise from overlap with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss and vestibular neuritis; a vascular origin may account for up to 15-20% of acute audio-vestibular syndromes in high-risk populations. Early thrombolysis or antiplatelet therapy may improve outcomes, though thrombolysis is rarely administered due to the lack of imaging evidence. For diagnosis, video head impulse testing, audiometry, and MR neuroimaging are essential. Management relies on vestibular and auditory rehabilitation for persistent vertigo and secondary stroke prevention. Our review highlights the underdiagnosis of vestibulocochlear stroke and advocates for an integrated neuro-otological and vascular diagnostic protocol in patients presenting with vertigo and hearing loss to facilitate faster and more effective treatment. Orv Hetil. 2026; 167(33): 1309-1317.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a significant health burden globally, associated with high healthcare costs and mortality rates. In Africa, the prevalence of CKD is estimated at around 10-15% in adults, with factors such as HIV, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease contributing to its prevalence. We performed a systematic review to evaluate the prevalence of chronic kidney disease in sub-Saharan Africa between 2018 and 2023. We searched Google Scholar, PubMed, and Cochrane Review from 2018 until 2023, and we included studies that looked at the prevalence of chronic kidney disease. The secondary outcome of interest was patient as defined by any cause of mortality. A comprehensive search yielded 10 studies for analysis, reporting a prevalence rate of CKD ranging from 9.8% to 29.9%. Factors such as age, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus were found to be associated with CKD prevalence. A total of 6,963 patients were involved in the studies. However, none of the included studies explored the outcome of mortality among CKD patients. The study was found to have a good assessment using the Ottawa-Newcastle scoring for cross-sectional studies. The prevalence of chronic kidney disease is high. The outcomes of chronic kidney disease are poorly explored in sub-Saharan Africa.

The spleen is usually viewed as a hematologic, vascular and immune organ, but rarely within lipid-associated disease. This review proposes splenic steatopathy as a provisional clinical and experimental framework rather than an established diagnosis or a splenic equivalent of fatty liver disease. Evidence is organized into pre-splenic drivers, intra-splenic pathology and post-splenic consequences. Upstream drivers include metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, obesity, severe hypertriglyceridemia, lysosomal storage disorders, drug-induced phospholipidosis, altered lymphatic lipid handling and portal-hemodynamic stress. Spleen-level findings include altered volume, attenuation, stiffness or metabolic activity; lipid-laden histiocytes; lysosomal or phospholipid storage; and immune-cell remodeling. Potential downstream relevance includes cytopenias, immune dysfunction, infection vulnerability, diagnostic redirection, cancer-associated immune biology and perioperative risk. Human evidence currently consists mainly of observational imaging studies and rare tissue reports; animal studies provide mechanistic support, while several proposed clinical links remain hypotheses. No validated diagnostic criteria, imaging thresholds or biomarkers currently exist. The framework may help distinguish unexplained splenomegaly from common mimics and, if validated, support long-term risk stratification for infection and malignancy in patients with metabolic liver disease. Future studies should prioritize spleen-specific imaging methods, tissue-imaging correlation, lipidomics, immune phenotyping and prospective outcome validation.