The Morbidity and Mortality Pattern of Non-communicable Diseases among Patients in Paediatric Medical Ward of a Tertiary Hospital in Calabar, Nigeria: A 7-Year Review.
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Abstract
Background: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are increasingly reported among children in resource poor nations as measures put in place to tackle communicable diseases take root. This study determined the morbidity and mortality pattern of NCDs among patients admitted into the Paediatrics medical ward (PMW) of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH).
Methods: This was a 7-year retrospective descriptive study. Medical records of patients aged two months to 18 years admitted into the PMW from January 2018 to December 2024 were reviewed with their ages, gender, diagnoses and outcome identified. Data was analysed with SPSS version 20 and p -value of <0.05 was statistically significant.
Results: 4210 patients were admitted during the study period, out of which 1,439 (34.2%) had NCDs with male:female ratio of 1.3:1.0, and 46.7% of the participants were under-5 while those aged 15 - 18 years were 10.1%. The commonest causes of admissions were malignancies (28.2 %), haematological disorders (27.2%) and structural heart diseases (11.2%). The relationship between age group and type of disease was statistically significant (p<0.001). One hundred and twenty-eight (8.9%) children died with 58 (45.3%) being under 5. Only 12 (0.8%) discharged against medical advice. The commonest causes of mortality were malignancies and structural heart diseases. Disease type showed a strong association with outcome (p < 0.001).
Conclusion: the high prevalence of NCDs in this study was a cause for concern with significant mortality among under-5. Policies should be directed at providing child-oriented health care services to prevent and reduce NCDs among children.
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