Medical causes of admissions to hospital among adults in Africa: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Despite the publication of several studies on the subject, there is significant uncertainty regarding the burden of disease among adults in sub-Saharan Africa (sSA). OBJECTIVES: To describe the breadth of available data regarding causes of admission to hospital, to systematically analyze the methodological quality of these studies, and to provide recommendations for future research. DESIGN: We performed a systematic online and hand-based search for articles describing patterns of medical illnesses in patients admitted to hospitals in sSA between 1950 and 2010. Diseases were grouped into bodily systems using International Classification of Disease (ICD) guidelines. We compared the proportions of admissions and deaths by diagnostic category using χ2. RESULTS: Thirty articles, describing 86,307 admissions and 9,695 deaths, met the inclusion criteria. The leading causes of admission were infectious and parasitic diseases (19.8%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 19.6-20.1), respiratory (16.2%, 95% CI 16.0-16.5) and circulatory (11.3%, 95% CI 11.1-11.5) illnesses. The leading causes of death were infectious and parasitic (17.1%, 95% CI 16.4-17.9), circulatory (16%, 95% CI 15.3-16.8) and digestive (16.2%, 95% CI 15.4-16.9). Circulatory diseases increased from 3.9% of all admissions in 1950-59 to 19.9% in 2000-2010 (RR 5.1, 95% CI 4.5-5.8, test for trend p<0.00005). The most prevalent methodological deficiencies, present in two-thirds of studies, were failures to use standardized case definitions and ICD guidelines for classifying illnesses. CONCLUSIONS: Cardiovascular and infectious diseases are currently the leading causes of admissions and in-hospital deaths in sSA. Methodological deficiencies have limited the usefulness of previous studies in defining national patterns of disease in adults. As African countries pass through demographic and health transition, they need to significantly invest in clinical research capacity to provide an accurate description of the disease burden among adults for public health policy

Pattern of non-communicable diseases among medical admissions in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

To determine the pattern of non-communicable diseases in themedicalwards of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), over four consecutive years (June 2000 to June 2004). The study was retrospective and datawere obtained from themedical registers in themedicalwards and the records department of the UPTH. Medical admissions due to non-communicable diseases were carefully selected and analyzed. There were 1853 cases of various non-communicable diseases out of a total medical admission of 3294 constituting 56.2% of total medical admissions. Diseases of the cardiovascular, endocrine and renal systems were the most prevalent constituting 35.7%, 18.5% and 16.8% respectively. Hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and chronic renal failure were the most common cardiovascular, endocrine and renal disorders respectively Non-communicable diseases are a major cause of morbidity in Port Harcourt. There is need for adequate health education and lifestyle modification to reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases in Nigeria. Keywords: Non-Communicable Diseases; Medical Admissions; PortHarcourt Nigerian Journal of Clinical Practice Vol. 11 (1) 2008: pp.14-1

The pattern and distribution of communicable diseases among medical admissions in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Background: Global and regional estimates show that non-communicable diseases are rising in importance relative to other causes of ill health as populations age and the fight continues against communicable diseases. However, communicable diseases remain a major cause of mortality and morbidity in the developing world. Aim: The study was carried out to determine the pattern of communicable diseases in the medical wards of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, (UPTH) over four consecutive years (June2000 June 2004). Methods: The study was retrospective and data were obtained from the medical registers in the medical wards and the records department of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital. Medical admissions due to communicable diseases were carefully selected and analyzed. Results: There were 1441 cases of various communicable diseases out of a total of 3294 medical admissions constituting 43.8%, while non-communicable diseases accounted for 56.2%.The top ten communicable diseases identified were tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, septicaemia, lobar pneumonia, acute viral hepatitis, chronic liver disease(viral), enteric fever, malaria, urinary tract infections and amoebic liver disease. Conclusion: Communicable diseases still remain a major cause of morbidity in Port Harcourt hence the double burden of disease. There is need for improvement in housing, provision of portable water, immunization, health education and improved sanitation amongst other social amenities to reduce the scourge of communicable diseases in Nigeria. Port Harcourt Medical Journal Vol. 1(1) September 2006: 52-5

Drug compliance among hypertensive patients in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

No Abstract. Nigerian Journal of Medicine Vol. 14(1) 2005: 55-5

Traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacological properties of African Nauclea species: A review

International audienceEthnopharmacological relevance: The genus Nauclea in Africa comprises seven species. Among them, N. latifolia, N. diderrichii and N. pobeguinii are widely used by local population as traditional remedies. Preparation of various parts of plants (e.g. roots, bark, leaves) are indicated by traditional healers for a wide range of diseases including malaria, pain, digestive ailments or metabolic diseases. Materials and methods: A literature search was conducted on African species of the genus Nauclea using scientific databases such as Google Scholar, Pubmed or SciFinder. Ever