Age and Sex Distribution of Common Medical Conditions at the Medical Outpatient Clinic of a Teaching Hospital in Southern Nigeria

Abstract

The age- and sex-specific differences in the distribution of diseases have not been previously investigated in Nigeria despite the  implications for healthcare planning in a country undergoing health transition with limited resources. The objective of the study was to  determine the age and sex distribution of common medical conditions among Nigerian adult outpatients at Igbinedion University  Teaching Hospital Okada. This retrospective study consisting of data extracted from medical records of male and female patients >18  years old and analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSS. Statistical significance was set at p<.05. Of the 911 eligible  patients, 53.5% were female. Females were younger than males (40.37 ± 17.64 years versus 42.64 ± 16.59 years, respectively; p=.046). The  commonest conditions were Malaria (37.9%), Dyspepsia (17%), Hypertension (16.4%), and Urinary Tract Infection (9.4%). Females had a  higher prevalence of Urinary Tract Infection and Dyspepsia, while Heart Failure was more prevalent among males. Infections were more  common in younger adults while older adults had higher prevalence of non-communicable diseases and multimorbidity. In conclusion,  the commonest medical conditions in this study were a mix of infections and non-communicable diseases, which is in keeping with the  ongoing health transition. The diseases were differentially distributed between the sexes and across age groups. The findings highlight  the important role of biological factors in the morbidity profile of adults. This study provides current evidence for the design of healthcare  policy and practice for efficient and equitable management of the evolving morbidity pattern among adult subpopulations in   resource-limited settings.