Pattern of otorhinolaryngeal, head and neck diseases in the inpatient unit of a tertiary health institution in Sokoto, North Western Nigeria

Abstract

Background: The pattern of ear, nose, throat, head and neck diseases varies from one geographical location to another and hospital admission usually required for optimum management.

Objective: The aim of this study is to assess the pattern of Ear, Nose and Throat in-patient diseases and make recommendations to improve health care services. Methods: This was a six year retrospective study of ear, nose, throat, head and neck in-patients. Data analysed include demographic data, religion and diagnosis.

Results: A total of Eighteen thousand and ninety three (18,093) patients were managed in the Ear, Nose and Throat department from January 2006 to December 2012. One thousand two hundred and twenty six (1,226) patients were managed in the in-patient unit comprising male708 (57.8%) and female 518 (42.3%) with male: female ratio 1.4:1. Hospitalisation rate was 6.8%. The six most frequent reasons for the hospital admission were tonsillitis 224 (18.3%) patients, followed by epistaxis 105 (8.6%), nasal masses 100 (8.2%), neck and laryngeal trauma 91 (7.4%), chronic suppurative otitis media 74 (6.0%), nasal and facial trauma accounted for 74 (6.0%).

Conclusion: The pattern of otorhinolaryngeal, head and neck diseases among the in-patients in this study varied with age and site of the lesion. Tonsillitis and Epistaxis being the most common reasons for admission, they can be handled by the general practitioners, hence, the need to create awareness on the management of these lesions to provide the Otorhinolaryngologist ample time to attend to complicated diseases