Physical morbidity in a psychiatric population in Nigeria

The rate of physical morbidity amongst 191 psychiatric in-patients in a Nigerian general hospital was found to be 27.2%. Older psychiatric patients were observed to be significantly more likely to suffer from physical morbidity. Infective processes constituted 57.7% of the physical health problems identified in the study population. Organ systems most frequently involved were the central nervous system (mainly as acute organic brain syndrome from septicaemia) (28.9%), cardiovascular/haematological (19.2%), and gastrointestinal (17.3%). Over 70% of physical disorders remained undiagnosed by the referring sources. It is emphasized that adequate attention should be paid to the physical status of psychiatric patients (both new and old cases) at all levels of health care. Collaborative work between medicine and psychiatry should also be encouraged in developing countries, and this should extend beyond clinical services and training (undergraduate and postgraduate) into the areas of evaluative research.