Amoebic cases at autopsy and factors that might have contributed to death at Ibadan

Twenty-one cases of amoebiasis seen at autopsy at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, over a 10-year period are reviewed. They constituted 0.59 percent of 3,556 autopsies performed during this period. Delay in seeking medical advice and in diagnosis and commencement of appropriate therapy were some of the factors contributing to the mortality in 16 (76pc) cases. Furthermore, Chronic renal failure, Cirrhosis, Lymphoma, Pregnancy and Sickle cell disease were also contributory factors to mortality in 7 (33pc) cases. With the progressive deterioration of the economics of Nigeria, urban migration and the increasing size of urban slums with crowded unhygienic conditions, the spread of this infection may accelerate and so result in greater mortality in the future.