Morbidity and mortality pattern among young adolescents at the emergency pediatric unit of a tertiary care facility in Abuja, Nigeria

Background/Aims: The period of adolescence can be described as the transition from childhood to adulthood. This transition also comes with changes in the health needs of this group due to their unique biological, psychological, and social characteristics. Defining morbidity and mortality burden in adolescents will help identify their health needs. In developing countries, this information is lacking and hence our study is to describe the emergency room morbidity/mortality pattern among pediatric unit adolescent patients at the emergency of our health institution. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study reviewing case notes and admission records of children aged 10–16 years presenting between January 2008 and December 2012 in the emergency pediatric unit in the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital Gwagwalada was conducted. Both demographic and clinical data on indications for admission were extracted and entered into Microsoft Excel 2007. Data are presented in percentages. Results: Four hundred and eighty-nine adolescents were seen during the study. There were 285 (58.3%) males and 204 (41.7%) females. The major causes of morbidity and mortality were infectious diseases with malaria and septicemia ranking highest. Tetanus was more prevalent in males than females. Sickle cell anemia was the most common noncommunicable disease (NCD) in the study population. Mortality rate was 8.8% with 60.5% occurring in males. Conclusion: Infectious diseases are still a cause of morbidity and mortality in the adolescent population. Tackling infection is necessary while taking steps to control the emergence of NCD among childhood survivors.