Cardiovascular System Mortalities in Nigeria; Case Study of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital

Abstract

Background: Studies have suggested epidemiological transition in the mortality pattern in Nigeria from communicable to non-communicable diseases of which Diseases of the cardiovascular system (DCVS) is prime. DCVS is thus a growing public health concern but its mortality profile is under-studied in Port Harcourt. This study was therefore designed to review the mortality profile of DCVS in Port Harcourt. Methodology: A retrospective case controlled study of deaths ascribed to DCVS at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) between January 2012 and December 2017. The composite diseases were grouped using the ICD10 scheme and analyzed using SPSS version 23. Minitab version 16 was used for trend analysis. Results: Of the overall 1902 deaths recorded within the period, 566 (29.8%) were cardiovascular system related. Of these, 301 (53.3%) were males and 265 (46.7%) were females. The elderly of 50 - 99 years were most commonly affected (65.5% of the mortalities). Cerebrovascular accidents (CVA) accounted for 322 deaths (56.9%); various types of shock caused 116 deaths (20.5%) while congestive cardiac failure (CCF) accounted for 114 deaths (20.1%). Pulmonary embolism, myocardial infarction, carotid aneurysm, and hypertensive encephalopathy caused 1.8%, 0.4%, 0.2%, and 0.2% deaths respectively. Peak annual mortality of 143 (25.3%) was recorded in 2013. Although the trend of mortality was undulating, there was an overall increase in annual incidence over the years. Conclusion: DCVS constitute the commonest systemic cause of death in Port Harcourt. Governmental and donor agencies involved in public health policy planning and implementation should scale-up strategies for the prevention and control of DCVS in order to stem the rising tide of associated mortalities.