The Pattern of Morbidity and Mortality in Children and Adolescents Presenting at the Emergency Unit of the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital

There is a lot of information on the causes of childhood morbidity and mortality in developing nations. This has driven the introduction of preventive health programs aimed at reducing under five mortality. This is not the same for under-5 survivors. With few studies in the morbidity mortality patterns seen among this age group, they lack similar age related disease intervention programs. Therefore this study aims to describe the pattern as seen in a paediatric emergency unit in a developing country. The study was carried out in the Emergency Paediatric Unit (EPU) of the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (UATH). The admission records of patients 5-16 years for the period January 2008 to December 2012 were reviewed, demographic and clinical data were extracted and entered into Microsoft EXCEL. Data were analyzed, presented in frequency tables and prose. Case fatality rates were calculated where necessary. A total of 4591 children were admitted during the period, 1137 (23.7%) were aged 5-16 years. Malaria was the commonest infectious disease diagnosed while sickle cell anaemia was the commonest non-communicable disorder. The commonest vaccine preventable disease encountered was tetanus. Mortality was highest in children aged 5-7 (39.1%). The major causes of death were infectious diseases, with malaria and tetanus accounting for 42.7% of the total deaths. Infectious diseases remain the major cause of morbidity and mortality in children over 5 years of age in developing countries. Control of these diseases and improved care of non-communicable illnesses would expectedly reduce morbidity and mortality.